Description
Biblical Studies is a discipline concerned with reading. We read texts, we write about them, and we read what others have written about them. But before interpretation begins to take place, a highly complex processing of letters on a page has already occurred. Yet there remains a largely unacknowledged population amongst scholars: those for whom that process differs from what is considered normative. Discussions about the inclusion of students with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLDs) is prevalent in education, and much-needed research about disability in the Bible is flourishing — but what about scholars of the Bible who have been diagnosed with SLDs (e.g Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia, etc.)? What does it mean for someone to read a text when they read “wrong?” Written from the perspective of a scholar with an early diagnosis of multiple SLDs, this paper will argue that biblical studies, as a discipline, has systemically favored one type of reading — namely, that which education systems have declared standard based on how so-called “neurotypical” individuals read English texts. Drawing upon recent research from the field of brain sciences, it will be demonstrated how favoring one type of reading is both an issue of inclusivity and puts limits on our collective understanding of the texts which are at the center of our research — which were written in an entirely different culture of reading. Finally, a phenomenological approach to reading biblical texts, as defined by Alexander Samely, will be offered as a way forward. This methodologically rigorous approach, which forces the scholar to reflect on their process of reading, intrinsically creates an inclusive conversation, enables us to work more effectively with texts in different languages, and subsequently heightens our understanding of biblical texts.Period | 25 Nov 2024 |
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Event title | Society of Biblical Literature: Annual Conference |
Event type | Conference |
Location | San Diego, United States, CaliforniaShow on map |