Edited
By Mark W. MacWilliams, Okuyama Michiaki
October 16, 2019
This book provides key official documents alongside political, religious-philosophical, and historical essays, illustrating how the term "Shinto" has metamorphosed terminologically from Japan’s emergence as a modern nation state in the late 19th century to the postmodern Japan of today. "Shinto" ...
By J. E. Llewellyn
August 01, 2005
'Defining Hinduism' focuses on what Hinduism is, what it has been, and what some have argued it should be. The oldest of the world religions, Hinduism presents a complex pantheon and system of beliefs. Far from being unchanging, Hinduism has, like any faith of duration, evolved in response to ...
By Jeppe Sinding Jensen
March 26, 2009
In all cultures and at all times, humans have told stories about where they came from, who they are and how they should live their lives. 'Myths and Mythologies' brings together the key classic and contemporary writings - philosophical, psychological, sociological, semiological and cognitivist - on...
By Scott S. Elliott, Matthew Waggoner
June 18, 2010
'Readings in the Theory of Religion' brings together classic and contemporary texts to promote new ways of thinking about religion. The texts reflect the diverse methods used in the study of religion: text and textuality; ritual; the body; gender and sexuality; religion and race; religion and ...
Edited
By Anita Maria Leopold, Jeppe Sinding Jensen
December 27, 2004
Long a fascinating but problematic category of religious studies, "syncretism" is an elastic term that describes a wide range of practices characterized by the mixing or overlap of traditions. Syncretism in Religion offers the student a broad selection of essays, both classical contributions to the...
By Karen Derris, Natalie Gummer
February 07, 2008
'Defining Buddhism(s)' explores the multiple ways in which Buddhism has been defined and constructed by both Buddhists and scholars. In recent decades, scholars have become increasingly aware of their own role in the construction of how Buddhism is represented - a process in which multiple ...
By Andrew Rippin
January 01, 2007
Ever since a group of people came into existence who called themselves Muslims and followed Islam, questions of what it means to be a member of this group - who is to be included/excluded and what the requirements for membership are - have proven to be both divisive and defining. For scholars and ...
By Aaron W. Hughes
February 01, 2010
Judaism is a monotheistic religion with a history of over 3,500 years. 'Defining Judaism' illustrates the range of theoretical and practical issues required for comparative and historical study of the faith. The texts range from historical attempts to define individual 'Jews' to imagining Judaism ...
By D. Jason Slone
June 30, 2006
This volume explores "cognition" in the study of religion - that is, the mental processes that govern religious belief and behavior across cultures and eras. The essays in the volume are scientific in nature and universal in scope. They address (a) the naturalistic meta-theoretical stances taken ...
By Anita Maria Leopold, Jeppe Sinding Jensen
October 01, 2004
Syncretism - the fusion of different beliefs into one religious system - has long been controversial in scholarship. It is widely held that religion, culture and ethnicity are pure entities that may become mixed in encounter and lead to impure, hybrid forms. 'Syncretism in Religion' presents a ...
By Bernd-Christian Otto, Michael Stausberg
January 01, 2013
Magic has been an important term in Western history and continues to be an essential topic in the modern academic study of religion, anthropology, sociology, and cultural history. 'Defining Magic' is the first volume to assemble key texts that aim at determining the nature of magic, establish its ...
By Craig Martin, Russell T. McCutcheon
November 02, 2012
Many regard religious experience as the essence of religion, arguing that narratives might be created and rituals invented but that these are always secondary to the original experience itself. However, the concept of "experience" has come under increasing fire from a range of critics and theorists...
