Russell T. McCutcheon
Encyclopedia
Russell T. McCutcheon is a Canadian scholar with a Ph.D. in religious studies from the University of Toronto
in 1995. He is a professor and was department chair from 2001-2009 at the University of Alabama
. He was one of the editors of the quarterly periodical Method & Theory in the Study of Religion 1997-2001. In 2005, McCutcheon was elected President of the Council of Societies for the Study of Religion (CSSR), headquartered at Rice University
. He is the founder and series editor for Equinox Publishing's anthology series, Critical Categories in the Study of Religion.
He has been noted for a controversy concerning methodology in the field of Religious Studies. This controversy centered on a rather polemical exchange between McCutcheon and Dr. Robert Orsi, who held a teaching position at Harvard University
and Harvard Divinity School
, with Orsi referring to McCutcheon's book, The Discipline of Religion, as "chilling". Orsi also made the comment, "the assumption appears to be that the scholar of religion by virtue of his or her normative epistemology, theoretical acuity, and political knowingness, has the authority and the right to make the lives of others the objects of his or her scrutiny. He or she theorizes them." McCutcheon responded with a paper included in the Journal of the American Academy of Religion
entitled, "It's a Lie. There's No Truth in It! It's a Sin!: On the Limits of the Humanistic Study of Religion and the Costs of Saving Others from Themselves."
His most recent editing project is a new monograph series, also with Equinox Press, entitled "Religion in Culture: Studies in Social Contest and Construction."
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
in 1995. He is a professor and was department chair from 2001-2009 at the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
. He was one of the editors of the quarterly periodical Method & Theory in the Study of Religion 1997-2001. In 2005, McCutcheon was elected President of the Council of Societies for the Study of Religion (CSSR), headquartered at Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
. He is the founder and series editor for Equinox Publishing's anthology series, Critical Categories in the Study of Religion.
He has been noted for a controversy concerning methodology in the field of Religious Studies. This controversy centered on a rather polemical exchange between McCutcheon and Dr. Robert Orsi, who held a teaching position at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
and Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School
Harvard Divinity School is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the United States. The School's mission is to train and educate its students either in the academic study of religion, or for the practice of a religious ministry or other public...
, with Orsi referring to McCutcheon's book, The Discipline of Religion, as "chilling". Orsi also made the comment, "the assumption appears to be that the scholar of religion by virtue of his or her normative epistemology, theoretical acuity, and political knowingness, has the authority and the right to make the lives of others the objects of his or her scrutiny. He or she theorizes them." McCutcheon responded with a paper included in the Journal of the American Academy of Religion
Journal of the American Academy of Religion
The Journal of the American Academy of Religion is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Academy of Religion...
entitled, "It's a Lie. There's No Truth in It! It's a Sin!: On the Limits of the Humanistic Study of Religion and the Costs of Saving Others from Themselves."
His most recent editing project is a new monograph series, also with Equinox Press, entitled "Religion in Culture: Studies in Social Contest and Construction."