Topic description:
Religion is, for the anthropologist, a quizzical concept. Most of the literature starts from iron-clad categories (immanent/transcendent, ...) that are fully embedded in the Mediterranean context. Moreover, scholars cannot get out of this mindset, known as religionism. My approach is a comparative study of religious action in an evolutionary perspective (owing to Stuart Kauffman's approach to complexity), combined with the primacy of action (over text or ideas) and artifact theory (Michael Cole). See Pinxten R (2010) The Creation of God. Frankfurt: Peter Lang

Biographical note:
Rik Pinxten is professor emeritus of cultural anthropology, the chairman of the Center for Intercultural Communication and Interaction (CICI) at Ghent University, Belgium, and the founding editor (1988) of the journal Cultural Dynamics (SAGE). He is currently a visiting professor in the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, the University of Vienna. Early on in his career he conducted fieldwork on the Navajo people in the U.S. Dr. Pinxten is an advocate for interculturalism over multiculturalism, arguing for dialogue and interaction between different communities based on a strong identity. Dr. Pinxten chaired the Liberal Humanist Association of Flanders (2003-2010), and was a promoter, together with Gerard Mortier, of the progressive Music Forum "The Krook" in Ghent. In 2004, he received the Ark Prize of the Free Word for his book The Artistic Society.

Selected publications:
François K, Pinxten R, Mesquita M (2013) How anthropology can contribute to mathematics education. Revista Latinoamericana de Etnomatemática 6:20-39
Pinxten R (2012) Distinguer les cultures mais ne pas les séparer. In: Mazijn B, Gouzée N (eds) La société en mouvement. La Belgique sur la voie du développement durable? Bruxelles, ASP, 60-70
Aerts D, D’Hooghe B, Pinxten R, Wallerstein I (eds) (2011) Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Worlds, Cultures, and Society. New Jersey: World Scientific
Pinxten R, Verstraete G, Longman C (eds) (2004) Culture and Politics: Identity and Conflict in a Multicultural World. Oxford: Berghahn
Pinxten R (2002) Identité, diversité et nécessité d’un projet social commun. In: Wilquin L (éd) Une Europe de la creation. Avin: Hannut, 207-225
Pinxten R (1997) When the Day Breaks. Essays in Anthropology and Epistemology. Peter Lang, Frankfurt
Callebaut W, Pinxten R (eds) (1987) Evolutionary Epistemology: A Multiparadigm Program. Dordrecht: Reidel
Pinxten R, Van Dooren I, Harvey F (1983) Anthropology of Space: Explorations into the Natural Philosophy and Semantics of Navajo Indians. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia
Apostel L, Pinxten R, Thibeau R, Vandamme F (eds) (1982) Religious Atheism? Story-Scientia, Ghent
Pinxten R, Karnooh C (eds) (1981) Observation in Anthropology. Communication & Cognition, Ghent
Callebaut W, De Mey M, Pinxten R, Vandamme F (eds) (1979-1980) Theory of Knowledge and Science Policy (2 vols.) Communication & Cognition, Ghent
Pinxten R (1979) On Going Beyond Kinship, Sex and the Tribe. Story-Scientia, Ghent
De Mey M, Poriau M, Pinxten H, Vandamme F (eds) (1977) The Cognitive Point of View. Communication & Cognition, Ghent
Pinxten R (ed) (1976) Universalism versus Relativism in Language and Thought. The Hague: Mouton