Syncretism
Description
Gary Hampson:
"The term syncretism derives from the Greek synkretismos meaning “union of communities.” Syncretism can be defined as “the attempted reconciliation or union of different or opposing principles, practices, or parties, as in philosophy or religion.”24 This breadth allows for its connection with the genealogy to vary from syncretic spirituality through syncretic philosophy to syncretic academia—forming, one might say, “the many faces of syncretism” (Sathler & Nascimento, 1997, p. 99). The term-concept has a chequered history, sometimes viewed neutrally or positively (including syncretism as promoting dialogue (also see Starkloff (2002)), othertimes negatively (including the idea of syncretism as a corruption of Truth) (Veer, 1994)."