Believing selves and cognitive dissonance : connecting individual and society via “belief”

摘要

“Belief” as an analytical tool and critical category of investigation for the study of religionhas been a resurging topic of interest. This article discusses the problems of language and practice inthe discussion of “belief” and proceeds to map a few of the emergent frameworks, proposed withinthe past decade, for investigating “belief”. The issue of inconsistency, however, continues to remain aperennial issue that has not been adequately explained. This article argues for the utility and value ofthe “believing selves” framework, in conjunction with revisionist theories of cognitive dissonance, toadvance the claim that beliefs are representations, as well as functions, of cultural history which bindindividual and society.