Beyond Ludism: Anthropological Research as Interruption

This paper argues that methodological ludism, which encourages scholars to playfully engage with religious perspectives to overcome the insider/outsider divide, underestimates how fieldwork transforms researchers. Through case studies, the authors show that researchers are deeply affected by religious contexts, challenging the idea of detached play. They propose a shift toward transformative anthropology that emphasizes embodied and emotional engagement over rational control. Fieldwork may not make scholars insiders but rather outsiders to their own prior frameworks, reshaping their understanding of reality and knowledge.

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Abstract

This paper critically examines methodological ludism as a research approach in the anthropology of religion, addressing the enduring insider/outsider problem. Methodological ludism, as proposed by André Droogers, encourages scholars to playfully engage with religious perspectives to transcend dichotomies between belief and analysis. While this ludic stance offers a dynamic alternative to methodological agnosticism, the authors argue that it underestimates the transformative impact of fieldwork. Through case studies, including those by Knibbe and Droogers, Van de Port, and McCarthy Brown, the paper demonstrates that researchers are often deeply affected by religious contexts, challenging the notion of detached play. The authors propose a shift toward transformative anthropology, emphasizing embodied and emotional engagement over rational control. Ultimately, they suggest that fieldwork may not make scholars insiders, but rather outsiders to their own prior frameworks, reshaping their understanding of reality and knowledge.