Us and Them: Martyrs, Prophets and Mythic Narratives of Refused Knowledge

Abstract

AbstractOn the basis of the literature on myths and narrative tropes in science and religion, this chapter enquires into RKC mythical narratives to highlight the relevance of certain key figures, events and objects that constitute the main characters around which these communities weave their common goals, visions and sense of belonging. Exploring the construction of, and the tropes surrounding, these mythical narratives—both scientific and religious—this analysis also emphasises the way such narratives stimulate everyday discussions, practices and even ritual forms within RKCs. In addition to martyrdom stories, a special focus on the myth surrounding the story of Ryke Geerd Hamer and the foundation of German New Medicine also serves to highlight an archetypal path in which the narrative tropes of mythic science and religious prophets converge. The chapter concludes by highlighting how compound martyrdom, mythical science and religious prophet stories, together with the ritual, social and cultural practices that they trigger, consolidate the demarcation between social worlds, contributing to the distinctions between an ‘us’–members of refused knowledge communities–and a ‘them’, i.e. the rest of society.