Religion and Anthropology A Critical Introduction [Hardcover]

This book provides an introduction to the extensive anthropological literature on religion that has been produced over the past forty years.A sequel and update of the pioneering text Anthropological Studies of Religion, this book provides a readable, comprehensive and critical introduction to the extensive anthropological literature on religion that has been produced over the past forty years. It focuses on well-know, substantive ethnographic studies, specifically those which have embraced the dual heritage of social anthropology in combining the interpretive understanding of religious phenomena, with a social scientific perspective that situates religion within its wider socio-historical context. Breaking away from the usual thematic approach and taking a comparative perspective, this engaging book emphasizes that religion is essentially a social institution, and is ill-understood if seen simply as an ideological or symbolic system.A sequel and update of the pioneering text Anthropological Studies of Religion, this book provides a readable, comprehensive and critical introduction to the extensive anthropological literature on religion that has been produced over the past forty years. It focuses on well-know, substantive ethnographic studies, specifically those which have embraced the dual heritage of social anthropology in combining the interpretive understanding of religious phenomena, with a social scientific perspective that situates religion within its wider socio-historical context. Breaking away from the usual thematic approach and taking a comparative perspective, this engaging book emphasizes that religion is essentially a social institution, and is ill-understood if seen simply as an ideological or symbolic system.Focusing on more recent classical ethnographies, this important study provides a critical introduction to the social anthropology of religion. It covers all the major religious traditions that have been studied concretely by anthropologists--Shamlsß