About the author:
Ekaterina V. Novokreshchennykh, Cand. Sci. (Philol.), Senior Lecturer, Department of English Language, University of Tyumen;
e.v.novokreshhennykh@utmn.ru; ORCID:
0000-0002-1000-3470
Abstract:
This article analyzes the problem of the religious discourse from the
semiotic standpoint. The author stresses the difference of the religious discourse from
the theological discourse, the former appearing a broader notion: the elements of the
religious discourse can occur in belles-lettres as well as in journalism and academic texts.
Moreover, the religious discourse bears a double character as it includes the discourse
of religion (a “from within” discourse, i.e. practices, or ´pratiques´) and the discourse
about religion (an “outside” discourse, excluding ´pratiques´). More complicated seems
to be a cross-border discursive domain where a bearer of discourse has to combine both
views, both sides of the discourse (from within and from outside). As an example may
serve, particularly, the so called ‘religious philology’ — a trend in post-Soviet literary
studies supposing that a researcher should not rest upon his religious views as an
ethical pillar only, but also as a conceptual and methodological one. This trend shows
its defect in attempting to replace a scrupulous analysis of texts by their ideological
“correction”. As a conclusion, we stress the importance of the semiotically organized
approach to the study of the religious discourse, practices and objects. This approach
allows a number of ways of interpretation. The work by Jean-Marie Floch (1947-2001)
of the Semiotic School of Paris “Lecture de la Trinité d’Andrei Roublev” is described
as an example of this approach.
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