Religious Studies A Global View [Paperback]

Drawing on recent developments in the comparative study of religion, this book explores the trends of the past sixty years from a global perspective. Each of the ten chapters covers the study of religion in a different region of the world, from Europe and the Americas to Asia and the Far East. Topics covered include:

• local background to the study of religions
• formation of religious studies in the region
• important thinkers and writings
• institutions
• interregional diversity and interregional connections
• emerging issues.

This book is a major contribution to the field of religious studies and a valuable reference for scholars, researchers and graduate students.

Introduction  1. Western Europe  2. Eastern Europe  3. North Africa and West Asia  4. Sub-Saharan Africa  5. South and Southeast Asia  6. Continental East Asia  7. Japan  8. Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacfic Islands  9. North America  10. Latin America  Afterword: Toward a Global Vision of Religious Studies

'Accessible and essential reading for all students of religion: an important collection on the modern formation of Religious Studies as an academic field'  Steven Sutcliffe, University of Edinburgh, UK

'Editor, G. Alles, rightly I think, considers the IAHR, the International Association for the History of Religions, with its 42 national and regional associations from all over the world, as a sign of an emergent global community of scholars of religion. This book is a gift to the IAHR and to this community of scholars. It offers a wealth of useful information, thus serving its major purpose: to give scholars around the world more knowledge about whatl“+