Mystical Experience and Interpretation: The Problem of Difference and Unity in the Essentialist and Constructivist Theories of the Twentieth Century
Theological Reflections Euro-Asian Journal of Theology August 25, 2018 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.29357/2521-179x.2018.21.16 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
The article examines how the term 'mysticism' carries a polemical semantic meaning, sparking methodological debates in religious studies. It contrasts two epistemological paradigms: the essentialist view, which treats mysticism as a universal, core experience, and the constructivist view, which sees it as shaped by cultural and linguistic contexts. The work argues that these competing frameworks influence how scholars define and study the mystical, highlighting the contested nature of the concept itself.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | The term 'mysticism' has a polemical semantic meaning that is central to methodological debates between essentialist and constructivist paradigms in religious research. |
Abstract
The article raises the question of the "polemical semantic meaning" of the term "mysticism" and the problems associated with modern acute methodological discussions about the "mystical" as a subject of religious research within the framework of two epistemological paradigms - "essentialist" and "constructivist".