ABSTRACT
In recent years, the term “affect”—as opposed to saying that something has an effect, i.e., consequence or practical implications—has received considerable attention in the Humanities in general, and the study of religion in particular. The English noun that stands in for this approach, “affect” derives from the classical Latin affectus. Affectations allow the observer to infer the existence of such inner states. An over-reliance on not just conscious belief but also on the role of language is among affect theory’s targets. Affect theory, whether intentionally or not is not really the issue, thus provides a new way to talk about old issues in the field—issues that we maintain have little or no place in the study of religion—such as common presumptions about religion being based in non-rationale experience.
