Exploratory Session on Sound as Religion

While interdisciplinary interest in the phenomenon of sound has been growing apace, understanding the diverse ways in which sound is implicated in religious practice and spiritual experience remains underresearched in the field of religious studies. This Exploratory Session examined the production, transmission, and reception of sound in a range of contexts, as well as broader conceptual and methodological questions. The session engaged “Sound as Religion,” that is, the ways sound comes to constitute religion, and invited the exploration of sonic and auditory cultures on their own terms: how do vocal, instrumental, or aural practices generate texts, rituals, performances, affective states, and religious institutions? The session also explores religious studies as sound: what techniques and methods are suited to capturing religion as a sonic phenomenon? Conducted as a roundtable in which participants share research through sound clips and objects, this forum provided opportunities for listening and open discussion.