ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book addresses philosophical questions about the existence of God, but Mikhail Bakhtin was unable to do this and had to restrain himself in order to comply with external censorship. It covers the self and other in intersubjective relationships; confession as a literary genre, and Bakhtin's conception of religion. The book also covers material drawn from philosophy of culture together with historical, anthropological and linguistic trends. It examines the grand narrative that he developed to explain historical development of literary genres. The book discusses the significance of Bakhtin's work for the study of religion. The study of religion is an interdisciplinary field of study that has carved out a separate institutional character from theology and anthropology in universities. The book explains Flood's argument, and looks at productive ways in which Bakhtin's work may contribute to future studies, particularly with respect to insider/outsider debate.
