How do words and images function hermeneutically? How does hermeneutic practice work? Answering these questions and more, Nicholas Davey develops the hermeneutical foundations of creative practice. In doing so, he not only uncovers the significance of philosophical hermeneutics for the arts and the humanities, but defends the humanities as a whole from the current scepticism inspired by deconstruction and post-structuralism. Taking Gadamer's language ontology as its cue, this pioneering volume not only addresses certain weaknesses that Davey observes in Gadamer's thought but further takes Gadamerian thinking beyond Gadamer himself. In particular, Davey investigates the productive value of negativity that is central to hermeneutics and to wider spheres of creative learning. Advocating a renewed confidence in hermeneutics and the humanities, Negative Hermeneutics and the Question of Practice reveals how hermeneutical thinking provides a map of the dynamics within creative practice, eliminating the need for an externally imposed 'theory' of the arts.

How do words and images function hermeneutically? How does hermeneutic practice work? Answering these questions and more, Nicholas Davey develops the hermeneutical foundations of creative practice. In doing so, he not only uncovers the significance of philosophical hermeneutics for the arts and the humanities, but defends the humanities as a whole from the current scepticism inspired by deconstruction and post-structuralism. Taking Gadamer's language ontology as its cue, this pioneering volume not only addresses certain weaknesses that Davey observes in Gadamer's thought but further takes Gadamerian thinking beyond Gadamer himself. In particular, Davey investigates the productive value of negativity that is central to hermeneutics and to wider spheres of creative learning. Advocating a renewed confidence in hermeneutics and the humanities, Negative Hermeneutics and the Question of Practice reveals how hermeneutical thinking provides a map of the dynamics within creative practice, eliminating the need for an externally imposed 'theory' of the arts.

In Unquiet Understanding, Nicholas Davey reappropriates the radical content of Gadamer's philosophical hermeneutics to reveal that it offers a powerful critique of Nietzsche's philosophy of language, nihilism, and post-structuralist deconstructions of meaning. By critically engaging with the practical and ethical implications of philosophical hermeneutics, Davey asserts that the importance of philosophical hermeneutics resides in a formidable double claim that strikes at the heart of both traditional philosophy and deconstruction. He shows that to seek control over the fluid nature of linguistic meaning with rigid conceptual regimes or to despair of such fluidity because it frustrates hope for stable meaning is to succumb to nihilism. Both are indicative of a failure to appreciate that understanding depends upon the vital instability of the "word." This innovative book demonstrates that Gadamer's thought merits a radical reappraisal and that it is more provocative than commonly supposed.

The Oxford Handbook of the Study of Religion provides a comprehensive overview of the academic study of religion. Written by an international team of leading scholars, its fifty-one chapters are divided thematically into seven sections. The first section addresses five major conceptual aspects of research on religion. Part two surveys eleven main frameworks of analysis, interpretation, and explanation of religion. Reflecting recent turns in the humanities and social sciences, part three considers eight forms of the expression of religion. Part four provides a discussion of the ways societies and religions, or religious organizations, are shaped by different forms of allocation of resources. Other chapters in this section consider law, the media, nature, medicine, politics, science, sports, and tourism. Part five reviews important developments, distinctions, and arguments for each of the selected topics. The study of religion addresses religion as a historical phenomenon and part six looks at seven historical processes. Religion is studied in various ways by many disciplines, and this Handbook shows that the study of religion is an academic discipline in its own right. The disciplinary profile of this volume is reflected in part seven, which considers the history of the discipline and its relevance. Each chapter in the Handbook references at least two different religions to provide fresh and innovative perspectives on key issues in the field. This authoritative collection will advance the state of the discipline and is an invaluable reference for students and scholars.

Providing a concise and accessible introduction to the work of the celebrated twentieth century German philosopher, Hans-Georg Gadamer, this book focuses on the aspects of Gadamer’s philosophy that have been the most influential among architects, educators in architecture, and architectural theorists. Gadamer’s philosophy of art gives a special place to the activity of "play" as it occurs in artistic creation. His reflections on meaning and symbolism in art draw upon his teacher, Martin Heidegger, while moving Heidegger’s thought in new directions. His theory of interpretation, or "philosophical hermeneutics," offers profound ways to understand the influence of the past upon the present and to appropriate cultural history in ever new forms. For architects, architectural theorists, architectural historians, and students in these fields, Gadamer’s thought opens a world of possibilities for understanding how building today can be rich with human meaning, relating to architecture’s history in ways that do not merely repeat nor repudiate that history. In addition, Gadamer’s sensitivity to the importance of practical thinking – to the way that theory arises out of practice – gives his thought a remarkable usefulness in the everyday work of professional life.

Hermeneutics is the branch of knowledge that deals with interpretation, a behaviour that is intrinsic to our daily lives. As humans, we decipher the meaning of newspaper articles, books, legal matters, religious texts, political speeches, emails, and even dinner conversations every day . But how is knowledge mediated through these forms? What constitutes the process of interpretation? And how do we draw meaning from the world around us so that we might understand our position in it? In this Very Short Introduction Jens Zimmermann traces the history of hermeneutic theory, setting out its key elements, and demonstrating how they can be applied to a broad range of disciplines: theology; literature; law; and natural and social sciences. Demonstrating the longstanding and wide-ranging necessity of interpretation, Zimmermann reveals its significance in our current social and political landscape. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

THE BLACKWELL COMPANION TO HERMENEUTICS "The Blackwell Companion to Hermeneutics is destined to become an invaluable resource for its incisive discussions of all aspects of hermeneutics within the field of philosophy." —Burt Hopkins, Seattle University "This is an extraordinarily rich collection of articles on every aspect of hermeneutics. It covers not just the history of hermeneutics from the ancient Greeks to the present, but also topics ranging from aesthetics and politics to pragmatism and deconstruction as analyzed by key thinkers such as Schleiermacher, Dilthey, Heidegger, Gadamer, Vattimo, and Apel. This Companion is an essential guide to the hermeneutic tradition." —Dermot Moran, University College Dublin "Hermeneutics—the philosophical theory of interpretation—has been one of the most influential strands of European thought over the last two hundred years or more. This comprehensive volume of essays, with contributions by many leading experts in the field, constitutes an ideal point of entry into the hermeneutic tradition. Its range and level of detail will also appeal to those who wish to advance their knowledge of hermeneutic philosophy and its many important consequences." —Peter Dews, University of Essex The Blackwell Companion to Hermeneutics is a collection of original essays that provides a definitive historical, systematic, authoritative, and critical compendium of philosophical hermeneutics. The volume explores the art and theory of interpretation as it intersects with contemporary philosophical and interdisciplinary schools of thought, including humanism, politics, education, theology, literature, and law. Essays also include cutting-edge discussions of the relation of hermeneutics to the history of philosophy, and address the major themes, topics, core concepts, and key figures at the heart of the discipline. The reference features 70 chapters from an international cast of leading and upcoming scholars, who offer historically informed, philosophically comprehensive, and critically astute contributions in their individual fields of expertise. In doing so, they identify and enact different aspects of hermeneutical aims and approaches in an attempt to bear witness to both the inherent diversity of hermeneutics, and also the constancy and fidelity of its return to history and tradition. Timely and thought-provoking, The Blackwell Companion to Hermeneutics is the only comprehensive reference work of its kind, and offers a wealth of information for everyone with an interest in hermeneutics.

Kerygmatic Hermeneutics takes a reader at once into a concrete apprehension of God in his scriptural truth through flowing in the Spirit. With the Spirit working with Scripture, a reader navigates in a to-ing and fro-ing between the general claims of God and the patterns of his actions in the world, and the embodiment of these general claims in the concrete particularity of contemporary living. This to-ing and fro-ing shapes an embodied witness to the world. In this account, an interpretation of scriptural truth is incomplete until Christ is proclaimed in the power of the Spirit to bring life. This brings the world into an encounter with God. Kerygmatic Hermeneutics is an account of how one may make theology in the Pentecostal-charismatic tradition. This constructive theological account also yields a practice of interpretation of Scripture in a community of faith. This formulation of kerygmatic theology and its hermeneutical practice opens theology to empirical enquiry and spiritual discernment in a post-Christian western world. This account is also existentially relevant for the global south and east, especially where readers find themselves having to speak apologetically into diverse religious and spiritual practices in daily encounters.

Fifteen essays examine the work of German philosopher Hans Georg Gadamer to provide feminist interpretations of his views on science, language, history, literature, and other topics.

Since its launch in 1987, Textual Practice has established itself as Britain's leading journal of radical literary theory.