The idea that gods are dying or already dead has been used in compelling but competing ways. For some, the symbolic death of a god creates the possibility of new life, as in traditional Polynesian rituals of chiefly installation and the Christian narrative of the crucifixion. For others, gods' (or God's) death marks the loss of spiritual force in the modern world; the famous phrase "God is dead" is Nietzsche's, but scholars from many disciplines have contributed to "modern, Western" visions of life and society as sites whose spiritual spark is extinguished. This course follows both paths in investigating God's death, examining the conjunction of religious and political authority in the modern Asia-Pacific, a region of intense negotiation over religion's place in local and national contexts.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. Analyse the conjunction and contestation of religious and political authority.
2. Critically examine debates about anthropological, historical analysis and efficacy of ritual.
4. Analyse the political implications of religious models of divine and human subjects.
5. Display analytic insight into religious nationalisms in the Asia-Pacific.
6. Critically utilize case studies when arguing analytical points in writing.
7. Summarize, digest and present the contents of analytical readings for a wider audience.
Other Information
This is a co-taught course. Any cap on enrolments in one course applies to both courses combined.
Indicative Assessment
Tutorial Participation: 10% 1,2,3,4,5,7Tutorial Presentation and Essay 20% 1500 words 1,2,3,4,5,6,7
Final Essay 40% 3000 words 1,2,3,4,5,6
Final Exam 30% 1,2,3,4,5,6
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Workload
The course will meet once a week for 12 weeks. Students will be expected to do 4 hours of reading for each class. Each three-hour session will combine a lecture on theoretical or analytic matters, the introduction of case study materials either from the lecturer's own research, other scholars' ethnographic writing, fiction or film, a break and tutorial-style discussion of the assigned readings for that period.Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Some of the book-length works lectures and student readings will draw upon include:
Aragon, Lorraine V. 2000. Fields of the Lord: Animism, Christian Minorities, and State Development. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press.
Bell, Catherine. 2009. Ritual Theory, Ritual Practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Besnier, Niko. 2011. On the Edge of the Global: Modern Anxieties in a Pacific Island Nation. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Preliminary Reading
Handman, Courtney. 2014. Critical Christianity: Translation and Denominational Conflict in Papua New Guinea. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Keane, Webb. 2007. Christian Moderns: Freedom and Fetish in the Mission Encounter. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Rafael, Vicente. 1992. Contracting Colonialism: Translation and Christian Conversion in Tagalog Society under Early Spanish Rule. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Robbins, Joel. 2004. Becoming Sinners: Christianity and Moral Torment in a Papua New Guinea Society. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Tomlinson, Matt, and Debra McDougall, eds. 2013. Christian Politics in Oceania. New York: Berghahn.
Tuwere, Ilaitia Sevati. Vanua: Towards a Fijian Theology of Place. Suva: IPS/USP.
Assumed Knowledge
The course is pitched at a third year level. While no specific disciplinary knowledge is assumed, second year essay writing skills are assumed.Majors
Minors
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2018 | $2820 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2018 | $4320 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.