Remembering J. Z. Smith: A Career and its Consequence

by Emily D. Crews (Editor), Russell T McCutcheon (Editor)

Overview

This volume presents an archive of remembrances of the person and the contributions of the late Jonathan Z. Smith (1938-2017). Section one collects previously unpublished papers from three separate recent scholarly panels (from the American Academy of Religion, the Society of Biblical Literature, and the North American Association for the Study of Religion), in which a wide variety of scholars reflect on the impact Smith had on their own careers and the field at large. Section two includes revised versions of blog posts, many of which appeared shortly after news of Smith's death, in which scholars, journalists, and onetime students of Smith offer a more intimate and personal look at his legacy. The volume closes with the extended transcripts of seven interviews about Smith carried out with those who either trained or worked with him. Taken together, the volume documents the role Smith's work has played in the modern field while providing a basis for further considering the future direction of the field.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781781799697
Publisher:	Equinox Publishing
Publication date:	10/01/2020
Series:	Working Papers
Pages:	280
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.53(d)

About the Author

Emily D. Crews is a PhD Candidate in History of Religions at the University of Chicago Divinity School. Her research considers projects of identity construction, maintenance, and negotiation in African and African diaspora religions, with a particular focus on gender and the body. In the classroom she thinks with students about major categories and ideas in the study of religion through everyday phenomena like friendship, fantasy novels, Greek life, and the Great Emu War of 1932.

Russell T. McCutcheon is University Research Professor and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Alabama, USA. He publishes widely on the history of the study of religion, the tools scholars use in their work, and the practical implications of that work. Among his recent publications are Reading J. Z. Smith (with Willi Braun; Oxford University Press, 2018), 'Religion' in Theory and Practice (Equinox Publishing, 2018) and Fabricating Religion (de Gruyter, 2018).

Table of Contents

Preface Emily D. Crews Russell T. McCutcheon xi

Introduction: Remembering J. Z. Smith (1938-2017) Russell T. McCutcheon 1

Part I Essays

American Academy of Religion's Comparative Studies in Religion Unit Panel

1 Introduction: Remembering J. Z. Smith-Shaping Our Field and Our Work in the Comparative Study of Religion Kathryn McClymond 17

2 The Poetics and Politics of Comparison: From Revolutionary Suicide to Mass Murder Hugh B. Urban 19

3 The Magus: J. Z. Smith and "the Absolute Wonder of the Human Imagination" Kimberley Patton 28

4 Citing Smith Kurtis R. Schaeffer 37

5 J. Z. Smith on Comparison: Insights and Appropriations Oliver Freiberger 46

6 Wrestling with Angels and Heavy Books Eric D. Mortensen 57

Society of Biblical Literature Wisdom of the Ages Panel

7 Introduction: In Memory of Gene M. Tucker (1935-2018) and J.Z. Smith (1938-2017) Zev Garber 63

8 A Matter of Interest: In Memory of Jonathan Z. Smith Ron Cameron 66

North American Association for the Study of Religion Panel

9 Introduction: Remembering J. Z. Smith Willi Braun Russell T. McCutcheon 90

10 Transformed Agendas: Generalism in the Work of J. Z. Smith and the Study of Religion Stephanie Frank 93

11 J. Z. Smith and the Necessary Double-Face Sam Gill 100

12 Remembering J. Z. Smith: Some Personal Reflections James Tabor 109

Part II Blogs

13 J. Z. Smith: The College's Iconoclastic, Beloved, Chain-Smoking Dean Pete Grieve 117

14 How I Failed J. Z. Smith Brett Colasacco 130

15 The Positive Genealogy of J. Z. Smith Tenzan Eaghll 133

16 In the Laboratory of Taxonomy and Classification (When the Chips Were Really Down) Richard D. Hecht 139

17 My Preliminary Journey through the World of J. Z. Smith Mitsutoshi Horii 144

18 On J. Z. Smith and the Remarkable Richard Newton 151

19 "It Ain't Too High, and it Ain't Too Theoretical" William D. O'Connor 153

20 A Matter of Difference: On the Legacy of J. Z. Smith Matt Sheedy 158

21 On Articulate Choice Vaia Touna 162

22 J. Z. Smith's Gift Donald Bruce Wall 166

23 Significant, Significance, Signifier Ipsita Chatterjea 169

Part III Interviews

24 Interviews conducted by Mike Altman with the following: Sam Gill 177

Amir Hussain 183

Donald Wiebe 187

Carole Myscofski 190

Christopher Lehrich 194

Eugene Gallagher 202

Ron Cameron 207

Part IV Afterword

25 Clues to a Great Mystery Emily D. Crews 217

Part V Appendix

26 Academic Freedom and Academic Responsibility Jonathan Z. Smith 223

Index 227