According to you what are the advantages and disadvantages of studying religion locally rather than globally?
Answers
Explanation:
Advantages
The cultural intimacy that you share with a group may make it easier for you to establish trust with your research participants and the group. Since you are an insider, your research participants may feel less pressure to paint a favorable portrait of themselves or to project an overly positive image of the community. Additionally, you are also familiar with a number of aspects of the religious ritual, symbol and meaning that may not be noticed by people unfamiliar with the faith tradition.
Disadvantages
While familiarity can be an advantage, as an “insider” of a particular group, we sometimes tend to take some cultural features of our community for granted. We also can make assumptions about the meaning and significance of a particular phenomenon as shared by all members of the group. Because of this, it can be a challenge, or even an impossibility, to take on a position of being culturally neutral and to look at our own culture with a certain naiveté. This cultural intimacy can sometimes limit the kinds of observations and understandings we may make.
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