Russell Tracey McCutcheon (born 1961) is a Canadian religion scholar with a PhD in religious studies from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

in 1995.

Biography

He is a professor and was department chair from 2001 to 2009 at the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publ ...

. He was one of the editors of the quarterly periodical ''Method & Theory in the Study of Religion'', 1997–2001. In 2005, McCutcheon was elected President of the Council of Societies for the Study of Religion, headquartered at

Rice University William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...

. He is the founder and series editor for the anthology series, Critical Categories in the Study of Religion. He has been noted for a controversy concerning methodology in the field of religious studies. This controversy centred on a rather polemical exchange between McCutcheon and Robert A. Orsi, who held a teaching position at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...

and

Harvard Divinity School Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the academic study of religion or for leadership roles in religion, gov ...

, with Orsi referring to McCutcheon's book, ''The Discipline of Religion'', as "chilling". Orsi also made the comment, "the assumption appears to be that the scholar of religion by virtue of his or her normative epistemology, theoretical acuity, and political knowingness, has the authority and the right to make the lives of others the objects of his or her scrutiny. He or she theorizes them." McCutcheon responded with a paper included in the '' Journal of the American Academy of Religion'' entitled, "It's a Lie. There's No Truth in It! It's a Sin! On the Limits of the Humanistic Study of Religion and the Costs of Saving Others from Themselves".

Books

* *with Willi Braun, ''Guide to the Study of Religion'', London; New York: Continuum, 2000. * ''The Discipline of Religion: Structure, Meaning, Rhetoric'', London; New York: Routledge, 2003. * ''Studying Religion: An Introduction'', London; Oakville, CT: Equinox, 2007 * with William E. Arnal, ''The Sacred is the Profane: The Political Nature of "Religion" ''. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. * ''A Modest Proposal on Method: Essaying the Study of Religion'', Leiden; Boston: Brill, 2015.

References

1961 births Canadian religion academics Living people Queen's University at Kingston alumni Religious studies scholars University of Alabama faculty University of Toronto alumni {{reli-studies-bio-stub