아프리카 종교 연구의 다양성: 에반스-프릿차드와 음비티의 연구를 중심으로

Abstract

In this paper, the author intends to examine two main trends in the study of African religion(s) which emerged in the twentieth century: (1) historical anthropology and (2) phenomenological theology. Analyzing the main works of representative scholars, E.E. Evans-Pritchard and John S. Mbiti, the author will describe and explain the characteristics and limitations of their ideas. First, Evans-Pritchard as a Western scholar tried to describe the concept of god in Nuer religion, translating the indigenous ideas of 'god' (kwoth) and 'the living dead' into Western and Christian terms. He debunked sociological reductionism by criticizing Durkheim' s theory. His method is "to look at Nuer religion through the eyes of the Nuer themselves," with a strong emphasis on the importance of historical perspective and of comparative studies. His studies opened the way for the hermeneutics of translation, in which the 'indigenous' categories should be given the priority over the 'foreign' ones.