21/05/2024 08:30 - 12:00

HALL: LA PIRA - ROOM 2

Proponent: Van Rompaey J.

Chair: Van Rompaey J.

Speaker: De Beukeleer M., Deflem L., James H., Maligot C., Van Rompaey J.

According to Thomas Kuhn in his 1962 The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, paradigms define what is made visible and invisible. Moreover, in Kuhn's understanding of paradigms, an important part of scientific practice is "fixing or manipulating" them to cope with possible challenges. This often goes on up until the point the paradigms become untenable. However, much of what eventually leads to the demise of a paradigm is initially invisible, uncomfortable, and undesirable, Kuhn calls them "anomalies".


In the field of theology and religious studies, scholars still find many anomalies that challenge paradigms and some of them are even resolutely shoved aside as taboo. At the same time, many topics that were once considered taboo are now gradually receiving greater academic attention. This panel explores the transformative or challenging nature of embracing what is often set aside. It delves into anomalies and taboos to focus on their implications for the paradigm.


This panel invites papers that bring up experiences and insights that are often invisible or out-of-paradigm. How do taboos and anomalies challenge paradigms in theology and religious studies? How does embracing or addressing taboo-subjects challenge the paradigms that guide and influence people's lives and their faith? What conservative forces do researchers encounter when dealing with taboo-topics?
In collaboration with the Center for History of Contemporary Religious Identities and Ideas, KU Leuven.