Negotiating the boundary between science and religion in modern rational institutions

• In Event: Being Religious, Being Scientific: The Dynamics Of Science And Religion In The Laboratory

Abstract

What are the various strategies by which religiously or spiritually oriented people negotiate the boundary between science and religion in modern life in and around diverse rational institutions? We seek to unpack how this everyday boundary work takes place and what happens to human experiences of the Divine in institutions such as courts, parliaments, schools, universities and health clinics and so on.

We will present preliminary findings from our pilot project in Finland and Sweden. We are in the process of collecting ethnographic research material from health clinics and universities. The material includes informal talking, participation in formal and informal gatherings, rituals and group discussions, and interviewing. Our interlocutors are actors in modern institutions while they simultaneously actively participate in Orthodox, Lutheran or Muslim parishes and religious communities.

Our first findings with medical practitioners show that the interlocutors are ‘boundary agents’ in the sense that they balance between scientific and religious worldview(s) and make interconnections between different health care systems and institutions. The paper will present broad categories of practices by such boundary agents based on our preliminary fieldwork and early analysis.

Authors

• Pia Vuolanto, University of Tampere Research Centre for Knowledge, Science, Technology and Innovation Studies

• Ali Qadir, University of Tampere, Finland

• Tatiana Tiaynen-Qadir, University of Tampere, Finland