Tedious Walt

A New Whitman for Religious Studies

Bibliographic Data

ID8205976
AuthorsCaleb Murray (Department of Religious Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA, corresponding author)
Year2019
Volume87
Issue2
Pages434-459
Publication date2019-05-30
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of the American Academy of Religion (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-7189 • E-ISSN: 1477-4585
PublisherOxford University Press (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1093/jaarel/lfz005
OpenAlexW2914200325
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited28

Whitman’s early readers emphasized the centrality of religion in his poetry, and subsequent academic reception often retains this opinion, highlighting the prevalence of religion in Whitman’s poetry and prose. However, despite the frequent treatment of religion in Whitman scholarship, religion is often read as loosely analogous to “belief” or “experience.” In this article, I first critique the narrow theorization of religion in Whitman scholarship, arguing that many scholars fail to acknowledge their historical or situational inheritance (i.e., a theory of religion that is rooted in Western and Christian concepts and biases, broadly). Following this argument that contemporary Whitman scholarship often retains a noncritical account of religion, I advocate for a more capacious, affective reading of religion in Whitman’s work that allows for not only an account of beliefs and experiences, but also social norms, practices, habits, and ethical dispositions.

Art · History · Philosophy · Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices · Study and Philosophy of Religion · Theological Perspectives and Practices

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