Religion in a Global Context: the reframing of the concept during early modern globalization

Abstract

In recent decades, many scholars have questioned the use of the term “religion” to describe non-Western cultures. Many espoused the idea that the word had no accurate translation or correspondence in these contexts, and hence, it had to be invented. However, even in the West, the concept went through significant transformations throughout History. This article discusses the transformations it underwent during the early modern period when global connections were forged due to European expansion initially led by the Iberian kingdoms. Building on debates raised by the scholarship that regards religion as an invented category artificially applied to non-Western settings, but also countering its conclusions, I argue that a new understanding of “religion” developed as a result of early modern globalization and Christianity’s universal aspiration combined. Since the concept of “religion” incorporated and responded to non-European realities and traditions, it cannot be interpreted as an exclusively Western concept.