Religion and Anthropology
Religion and Anthropology
This important textbook provides a critical introduction to the social anthropology of religion, focusing on more recent classical ethnographies. Comprehensive, free of scholastic jargon, engaging, and comparative in approach, it covers all the major religious traditions that have been studied concretely by anthropologists - Shamanism, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, Christianity and its relation to African and Melanesian religions and contemporary Neopaganism. Eschewing a thematic approach and treating religion as a social institution and not simply as an ideology or symbolic system, the book follows the dual heritage of social anthropology in combining an interpretative understanding and sociological analysis. The book will appeal to all students of anthropology, whether established scholars or initiates to the discipline, as well as to students of the social sciences and religious studies, and for all those interested in comparative religion.
- Emphasizes religion as a social institution, rather than merely an ideological or symbolic system
- Clear, jargon-free language
- Studies a broad range of religions, including Shamanism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, African religions, and contemporary Neo-Paganism
Reviews & endorsements
'Brian Morris' Religion and Anthropology is at once remarkably comprehensive and situated. He manages to include most of the religious endeavors of the world and of world history while situating each in social context, elucidated by anthropological fieldwork. The resulting volume is an excellent resource for thinking and teaching about religion in a specifically anthropological perspective. I plan to assign the book for my own course on the topic.' James L. Peacock, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
'As a sequel and complement to Morris's previous reader on theoretical approaches to religion this book of impressive scholarship is an admirable success and a thoroughly enjoyable read. The book is characterized by a refreshing, commonsense approach to religion that is eminently accessible due to the consistent avoidance of unnecessary jargon, psycho-babble or lyrical prose. … The sympathetic and nonjudgmental ethnographic descriptions, the dynamism of the theoretical polemic, the clear use of English, and the elegance of the narrative structure made this book difficult to put down. A rare experience when reading much modern anthropological writing.' Jerome Lewis, London School of Economics and Political Science
Product details
February 2006Paperback
9780521617796
362 pages
229 × 152 × 21 mm
0.478kg
Available
Table of Contents
- Preface
- Introduction
- 1. Shamanism
- 2. Buddhism and spirit cults
- 3. Islam and popular religion
- 4. Hinduism and new religious movements
- 5. Christianity and religion in Africa
- 6. African American religion
- 7. Religions in Melanesia
- 8. Neopaganism and the New Age movement.
