Katja Rakow
Biographic Data
| ID | 1610047 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Katja Rakow |
| GIVEN NAMES | Katja |
| FAMILY NAME | Rakow |
| SIGNATURE | RAKOW K |
| AFFILIATIONS | Utrecht University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4787-2442 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 9 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 15 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 9 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2013 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Material Metaphors
In this essay, I draw inspiration from scholars in book history, literary studies, and material religion, who emphasize the importance of the materiality of text, applying their insights to the study of religious texts. Katherine Hayles’s idea of the book as a “material metaphor” that structures the relation of words to the world serves as one such inspiration. In my own research, it was the advent of digital Bibles, which brought renewed attenti…
The Process of Subjectivization within a Religious Organization
This article uses Taylor’s subjective turn to examine the impact of such a change on organized religion, focusing on the Dutch Apostolic Society ( AS ). Drawing on oral history data from twenty-seven members belonging to six different generations, we investigate their perceptions of changes in leadership, rituals, and community life. Findings show a shift from external religious authorities to immanent forms of spirituality and self-authority. Wh…
From Objects to Larger Material Structures / From Belief to Practices
An object is a very concrete thing. It can be described in detail, including its production, distribution, and use if such data is available. Indeed, many submissions to Material Religion focus on
Globale Christentümer
Obwohl das Christentum seit den ersten Jahrhunderten
Of Bogeymen and The Promises of The Past or How to Construct a Uniform Identity
The response to Markus Altena Davidsen’s article ‘Theo van Baaren’s Systematic Science of Religion Revisited: The Current Crisis in Dutch Study of Religion and a Way Out’ analyses the image of anthropology depicted in the article. It delineates the role anthropology plays in formulating Davidsen’s vision for a new disciplinary identity and research agenda of a ‘science of religion’. The response further questions if reanimating a research program…
The Material Dimension of the Bible from Print to Digital Text
The chapter addresses the material dimension of the Bible in the discourse and practice of evangelical and Pentecostal Christians. According to surveys commissioned by the American Bible Society, announcements from big Bible publishers, and my own observations among contemporary evangelical and Pentecostal Christians in America, digital Bibles and Bible apps are on the rise. The transition from print culture to digital culture has not gone uncont…
The Light of the World
The paper explores the interplay of elaborate light and sound technologies used in the worship services of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. During the renovation and reconstruction of the church venue from former basketball stadium to church auditorium, the church hired professional companies to design and outfit the huge 16,000 seat auditorium in order to create a worship space, which simultaneously is meant to serve as a meeting space for the…
Transformationen des tibetischen Buddhismus im 20. Jahrhundert
Therapeutic Culture and Religion in America
Much has been written about the psychologization of different spheres of contemporary American culture (education, industrial-military complex, health care, etc.) from different disciplinary perspectives. In this article, I will discuss the concept of therapeutic culture in relation to religion in America. The essay will trace contemporary therapeutic culture back to the mind cure movement and "New Thought" and its concept of the instrumental pow…
Therapeutic Culture and Religion in America
Much has been written about the psychologization of different spheres of contemporary American culture (education, industrial-military complex, health care, etc.) from different disciplinary perspectives. In this article, I will discuss the concept of therapeutic culture in relation to religion in America. The essay will trace contemporary therapeutic culture back to the mind cure movement and "New Thought" and its concept of the instrumental pow…
The Light of the World
The paper explores the interplay of elaborate light and sound technologies used in the worship services of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. During the renovation and reconstruction of the church venue from former basketball stadium to church auditorium, the church hired professional companies to design and outfit the huge 16,000 seat auditorium in order to create a worship space, which simultaneously is meant to serve as a meeting space for the…
Therapeutic Culture and Religion in America
Much has been written about the psychologization of different spheres of contemporary American culture (education, industrial-military complex, health care, etc.) from different disciplinary perspectives. In this article, I will discuss the concept of therapeutic culture in relation to religion in America. The essay will trace contemporary therapeutic culture back to the mind cure movement and "New Thought" and its concept of the instrumental pow…
Transformationen des tibetischen Buddhismus im 20. Jahrhundert
Of Bogeymen and The Promises of The Past or How to Construct a Uniform Identity
The response to Markus Altena Davidsen’s article ‘Theo van Baaren’s Systematic Science of Religion Revisited: The Current Crisis in Dutch Study of Religion and a Way Out’ analyses the image of anthropology depicted in the article. It delineates the role anthropology plays in formulating Davidsen’s vision for a new disciplinary identity and research agenda of a ‘science of religion’. The response further questions if reanimating a research program…
The Material Dimension of the Bible from Print to Digital Text
The chapter addresses the material dimension of the Bible in the discourse and practice of evangelical and Pentecostal Christians. According to surveys commissioned by the American Bible Society, announcements from big Bible publishers, and my own observations among contemporary evangelical and Pentecostal Christians in America, digital Bibles and Bible apps are on the rise. The transition from print culture to digital culture has not gone uncont…
The Light of the World
The paper explores the interplay of elaborate light and sound technologies used in the worship services of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. During the renovation and reconstruction of the church venue from former basketball stadium to church auditorium, the church hired professional companies to design and outfit the huge 16,000 seat auditorium in order to create a worship space, which simultaneously is meant to serve as a meeting space for the…
Globale Christentümer
Obwohl das Christentum seit den ersten Jahrhunderten
From Objects to Larger Material Structures / From Belief to Practices
An object is a very concrete thing. It can be described in detail, including its production, distribution, and use if such data is available. Indeed, many submissions to Material Religion focus on
Material Metaphors
In this essay, I draw inspiration from scholars in book history, literary studies, and material religion, who emphasize the importance of the materiality of text, applying their insights to the study of religious texts. Katherine Hayles’s idea of the book as a “material metaphor” that structures the relation of words to the world serves as one such inspiration. In my own research, it was the advent of digital Bibles, which brought renewed attenti…
The Process of Subjectivization within a Religious Organization
This article uses Taylor’s subjective turn to examine the impact of such a change on organized religion, focusing on the Dutch Apostolic Society ( AS ). Drawing on oral history data from twenty-seven members belonging to six different generations, we investigate their perceptions of changes in leadership, rituals, and community life. Findings show a shift from external religious authorities to immanent forms of spirituality and self-authority. Wh…
Aesthetics (5 works) · Philosophy (5 works) · Art (4 works) · Epistemology (4 works) · Sociology (4 works) · Computer Science (2 works) · Media, Religion, Digital Communication (2 works) · Political science (2 works) · Religion and Society Interactions (2 works) · Religion, Society, and Development (2 works)