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<article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/" article-type="research-article" dtd-version="1.2" xml:lang="ru"><front><journal-meta><journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">Russian Social and Humanitarian Studies</journal-id><journal-title-group><journal-title xml:lang="en">Russian Social and Humanitarian Studies</journal-title><trans-title-group xml:lang="ru"><trans-title>Российские социогуманитарные исследования</trans-title></trans-title-group></journal-title-group><issn publication-format="electronic">3033-5981</issn><publisher><publisher-name xml:lang="en">Science and Innovation Center Publishing House</publisher-name></publisher></journal-meta><article-meta><article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">453847</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="doi">10.12731/3033-5981-2026-18-2-589</article-id><article-id pub-id-type="edn">UZLYHT</article-id><article-categories><subj-group subj-group-type="toc-heading" xml:lang="en"><subject>Methodology and Novel Approaches in Humanities</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="toc-heading" xml:lang="ru"><subject>Методология и новые подходы в гуманитарных науках</subject></subj-group><subj-group subj-group-type="article-type"><subject>Research Article</subject></subj-group></article-categories><title-group><article-title xml:lang="en">Understanding and explanation in J. Waardenburg’s neo-phenomenology: between hermeneutics and empirical study of religion</article-title><trans-title-group xml:lang="ru"><trans-title>Понимание и объяснение в неофеноменологии Ж. Ваарденбурга: между герменевтикой и эмпирическим религиоведением</trans-title></trans-title-group></title-group><contrib-group><contrib contrib-type="author"><contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid">https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3924-2362</contrib-id><name-alternatives><name xml:lang="ru"><surname>Яруллин</surname><given-names>Руслан Фаридович</given-names></name><name xml:lang="en"><surname>Yarullin</surname><given-names>Ruslan F.</given-names></name></name-alternatives><address><country country="RU">Russian Federation</country></address><bio xml:lang="ru"><p>аспирант кафедры религиоведения</p> <p> </p></bio><bio xml:lang="en"><p>Postgraduate student of the Department of Religious Studies</p> <p> </p></bio><email>ryarullin553@gmail.com</email><xref ref-type="aff" rid="aff1"/></contrib></contrib-group><aff-alternatives id="aff1"><aff><institution xml:lang="en">Kazan Federal University</institution></aff><aff><institution xml:lang="ru">Казанский (Приволжский) федеральный университет</institution></aff></aff-alternatives><content-language>ru</content-language><pub-date date-type="pub" iso-8601-date="2026-06-30" publication-format="electronic"><day>30</day><month>06</month><year>2026</year></pub-date><pub-date date-type="collection"><year>2026</year></pub-date><volume>18</volume><issue>2</issue><issue-title xml:lang="ru"/><fpage>333</fpage><lpage>347</lpage><history><date date-type="received" iso-8601-date="2026-05-19"><day>19</day><month>05</month><year>2026</year></date></history><permissions><copyright-statement xml:lang="en">Copyright ©; 2026, R.F. Yarullin</copyright-statement><copyright-statement xml:lang="ru">Copyright ©; 2026, Р.Ф. Яруллин</copyright-statement><copyright-year>2026</copyright-year><copyright-holder xml:lang="en">R.F. Yarullin</copyright-holder><copyright-holder xml:lang="ru">Р.Ф. Яруллин</copyright-holder><ali:free_to_read xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/"/><license><ali:license_ref xmlns:ali="http://www.niso.org/schemas/ali/1.0/">https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0</ali:license_ref></license></permissions><self-uri xlink:href="https://journals.rcsi.science/2077-1770/article/view/453847">https://journals.rcsi.science/2077-1770/article/view/453847</self-uri><abstract xml:lang="en"><p>Background. Jacques Waardenburg’s neo-phenomenology occupies an intermediate position between classical phenomenology of religion, hermeneutics and empirical study of religion. Its methodological importance is connected with the problem of how a scholar can reconstruct subjective religious meanings scientifically when they are not directly accessible and are mediated by texts, rituals, institutions, self-descriptions and social contexts.</p> <p>Purpose. The purpose of this study is to reconstruct the methodological mechanism of Waardenburg’s neo-phenomenology through the relationship between understanding, explanation and validation of interpretation.</p> <p>Materials and methods. The study is based on Waardenburg’s methodological works on “new style” phenomenology of religion, the category of faith, the open concept of religion and religious actors. The article uses historical analysis in the study of religion, hermeneutic analysis, conceptual reconstruction and a comparative methodological approach; studies by J. Daniels, J. Gebelt and T. S. Samarina are used for contextualization.</p> <p>Results. The article shows that Waardenburg’s neo-phenomenology may be described as an empirically disciplined hermeneutics of religion. Its hermeneutic dimension is linked to the movement from fact to meaning, its anthropological dimension to the focus on actors and practices, and its methodological core to the reconstruction of intentions. The reconstruction of religious intentions requires validation through sources, context, actors’ self-understanding, logical consistency and comparison with alternative explanations. The article concludes that, for Waardenburg, understanding and explanation are not opposing methods but complementary operations of the study of religion.</p></abstract><trans-abstract xml:lang="ru"><p>Обоснование. Неофеноменология Жака Ваарденбурга занимает промежуточное положение между классической феноменологией религии, герменевтикой и эмпирическим религиоведением. Ее методологическая значимость связана с вопросом о том, как исследователь может научно реконструировать субъективные религиозные значения, если они не даны непосредственно и всегда опосредованы текстами, ритуалами, институтами, самоописаниями и социальным контекстом.</p> <p>Цель. Цель исследования состоит в реконструкции методологического механизма неофеноменологии Ваарденбурга через анализ соотношения понимания, объяснения и валидации интерпретации.</p> <p>Материалы и методы. Материалом исследования выступают методологические работы Ваарденбурга, посвященные феноменологии религии «нового стиля», категории веры, открытому понятию религии и религиозным акторам. Используются историко-религиоведческий анализ, герменевтический анализ, понятийная реконструкция и сравнительно-методологический подход; для контекстуализации привлечены исследования Дж. Дэниелса, Й. Гебелта и Т. С. Самариной.</p> <p>Результаты. Показано, что неофеноменология Ваарденбурга может быть описана как эмпирически дисциплинированная герменевтика религии. Ее герменевтическое измерение связано с переходом от факта к значению, антропологическое измерение – с переносом внимания на акторов и практики, а методологическое ядро – с реконструкцией интенций. Установлено, что реконструкция религиозных интенций требует валидации через источники, контекст, самопонимание участников, логическую согласованность и сопоставление с альтернативными объяснениями. Сделан вывод, что у Ваарденбурга понимание и объяснение не противопоставляются, а образуют взаимодополняющие операции религиоведческого анализа.</p></trans-abstract><kwd-group xml:lang="en"><kwd>Jacques Waardenburg</kwd><kwd>neo-phenomenology of religion</kwd><kwd>hermeneutics of religion</kwd><kwd>Verstehen</kwd><kwd>Erklären</kwd><kwd>intention</kwd><kwd>subjective meaning</kwd><kwd>methodological validation</kwd></kwd-group><kwd-group xml:lang="ru"><kwd>Жак Ваарденбург</kwd><kwd>неофеноменология религии</kwd><kwd>герменевтика религии</kwd><kwd>Verstehen</kwd><kwd>Erklären</kwd><kwd>интенция</kwd><kwd>субъективное значение</kwd><kwd>методологическая валидация</kwd></kwd-group><funding-group/></article-meta></front><body></body><back><ref-list><ref id="B1"><label>1.</label><citation-alternatives><mixed-citation xml:lang="en">Waardenburg, J. (2010). Reflections on the Study of Religion, Including an Essay on the Works of Gerardus van der Leeuw. In V. E. I. 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