The Opposition or Nexus of "Religiosity" and "Spirituality" in the West: A Critical Reappraisal Based on Reinhart Koselleck's Approach to "Conceptual History"
Article Type:
Research
Writers:
✍️ Ahmad Shakernejad
/ Assistant Professor, Department of Religions and Mysticism, Faculty of Theology and Religions, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran / a_shakernejad@sbu.ac.ir
/ Assistant Professor, Department of Religions and Mysticism, Faculty of Theology and Religions, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran / a_shakernejad@sbu.ac.ir Registering DOI...⏳
Abstract:
Despite the prevailing claim in psychological and sociological studies concerning the separation or antagonism between spirituality and religiosity, it remains unclear to what extent this dichotomy reflects the lived experience of religiosity in the West and to what degree it constitutes a theoretical construct. This article aims to investigate the origin, evolution, and consequences of this dichotomy. It employs a "systematic critical review" method for the collection, refinement, and analysis of key sources, and at the level of interpretation, draws upon Reinhart Koselleck's approach to "conceptual history" (Begriffsgeschichte) in order to reconstruct the trajectory of the semantic transformation of "spirituality" in relation to "religiosity" within Anglophone-American societies. The research data comprise contemporary texts from three domains—psychology, sociology, and religious studies—spanning the period from 1950 to 2020 CE. A critical examination of these works indicates that the dichotomization of religion/spirituality is predominantly a product of humanistic psychological theorizing and post-secular sociological discourse, and that it has acquired conceptual utility for explaining transformations in modern religiosity. Conversely, contemporary religious studies have moved toward a continuum-based and non-antagonistic understanding, emphasizing the overlap between spiritual and religious strata. The study concludes that the opposition between religion and spirituality is, rather than a social reality, an analytical construct within the discourse of modern human sciences.
چکیده و کلیدواژه فارسی (Persian)
Title :تقابل یا پیوند «دیانت» و «معنویت» در غرب: بازخوانی انتقادی بر اساس رویکرد «تاریخ مفاهیم» رینهارت کوزلک
Abstract:
با وجود ادعای رایج در مطالعات روان‌شناختی و جامعه‌شناختی مبنی بر جدایی یا تقابل میان معنویت و دیانت، روشن نیست که این دوگانه تا چه اندازه بازتاب تجربة زیستة دین‌داری در غرب است و تا چه حد برساخته‌ای نظری محسوب می‌شود. این مقاله با هدف واکاوی منشأ، تحول و پیامدهای این دوگانه، از روش «مرور انتقادی نظام‌مند» برای گردآوری، پالایش و تحلیل منابع کلیدی استفاده می‌کند و در سطح تفسیر از رویکرد «تاریخ مفاهیم» رینهارت کوزلک بهره می‌گیرد تا مسیر دگردیسی معنایی «معنویت» در نسبت با «دیانت» در جوامع انگلوامریکن را بازسازی کند. داده‌های پژوهش شامل متون معاصر سه حوزة روان‌شناسی، جامعه‌شناسی و دین‌شناسی در بازة زمانی ۱۹۵۰ تا ۲۰۲۰م است. بررسی انتقادی این آثار نشان می‌دهد که دوگانه‌سازی دین/معنویت عمدتاً محصولِ نظریه‌پردازی‌های روان‌شناسی انسان‌گرا و جامعه‌شناسی پساسکولار بوده و برای تبیین تحولات دین‌داری مدرن، کارکرد مفهومی یافته است. در مقابل، دین‌شناسی معاصر به‌سوی فهم پیوستاری و غیرتقابلی حرکت کرده و بر همپوشانی لایه‌های معنوی و دینی تأکید می‌کند. نتیجة مطالعه آن است که تقابل دین و معنویت بیش از آنکه واقعیتی اجتماعی باشد، سازه‌ای تحلیلی در گفتمان علوم انسانی مدرن است.
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Shakernejad, Ahmad. (2026) The Opposition or Nexus of "Religiosity" and "Spirituality" in the West: A Critical Reappraisal Based on Reinhart Koselleck's Approach to "Conceptual History". معرفت ادیان (Ma`rifat Adyan), 17(3), 155-176 https://doi.org/10.22034/marefateadyan.2026.5003192.
Ahmad Shakernejad."The Opposition or Nexus of "Religiosity" and "Spirituality" in the West: A Critical Reappraisal Based on Reinhart Koselleck's Approach to "Conceptual History"". معرفت ادیان (Ma`rifat Adyan), 17, 3, 2026, 155-176
Shakernejad, A.(2026) 'The Opposition or Nexus of "Religiosity" and "Spirituality" in the West: A Critical Reappraisal Based on Reinhart Koselleck's Approach to "Conceptual History"', معرفت ادیان (Ma`rifat Adyan), 17(3), pp. 155-176
