By Christopher I. Lehrich
December 31, 2020
Jonathan Z. Smith (1938–2017) was unquestionably one of the most important and influential voices of critical reflection within the academic study of religion in the last century. His work explored the nature and history of religious phenomena across cultures—from ancient Jewish practices to Maori ...
By Aaron W Hughes
November 18, 2015
Jacob Neusner was a prolific and innovative contributor to the study of religion for over fifty years. A scholar of rabbinic Judaism, Neusner regarded Jewish texts as data to address larger questions in the academic study of religion that he helped to formulate. Jacob Neusner on Religion offers the...
By Michel Despland
September 10, 2008
Roger Bastide developed the theory of acculturation which provides a framework for understanding contact between different cultures and beliefs. 'Bastide on Religion' offers a clear introduction to the life and work of this influential scholar. The volume focuses on Bastide's study of ...
By Terry Rey
November 30, 2007
Pierre Bourdieu was one of the most influential social theorists of our time. He developed a series of concepts to uncover the way society works and to challenge assumptions about what society is. His ideas illuminate how individuals and groups find value and meaning and so have rapidly come to be ...
By Dawne McCance
March 01, 2009
Jacques Derrida is widely regarded as one of the most influential thinkers of the twentieth century. His thinking has radically transformed scholarship and critical practice across the Humanities and Social Sciences. 'Derrida on Religion' offers students an overview of Derrida's many influential ...
By Ivan Strenski
September 10, 2008
Louis Dumont was a prominent anthropologist and sociologist whose work - notably on Indian society - influenced the study of religion. 'Dumont on Religion' introduces Dumont's work on kinship studies, structural theory, and his views on idealism. Subjects of particular interest to students of ...
By Paul-Francois Tremlett
September 10, 2008
Levi-Strauss, the 'father of modern anthropology', is one of the most influential thinkers of the Twentieth Century. His development of 'structuralism' - the identification of patterns of human cognition and behaviour - greatly influenced Althusser, Lacan, Foucault and Derrida. -Levi-Strauss on ...
By Dr. Fabrizio M. Ferrari
March 01, 2012
Ernesto de Martino was a major critical thinker in the study of vernacular religions, producing innovative analyses of key concepts such as 'folklore', 'magic' and 'ritual'. His methodology stemmed from his training under the philosopher Benedetto Croce whilst his philosophical approach to ...
By Marsha Aileen Hewitt
April 01, 2014
Freud argued that religions originate in the unconscious needs, longings and fantasies of human minds. His work has served to highlight how any analysis of religion must explore mental life, both the cognitive and the unconscious. 'Freud on Religion' examines Freud's complex understanding of ...
