Anthropology and religion : what we know, think, and question / Robert L. Winzeler.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Winzeler, Robert L.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ethnology--Religious aspects.

Ethnology.

Religion.

Physical Description:

xv, 297 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham : AltaMira Press, [2008]

Summary:

Drawing from ethnographic examples found throughout the world, this book offers a general introduction to what anthropologists know or think about religion, how they have studied it, and how they have interpreted or explained it since the late nineteenth century. Winzeler's balanced consideration of classic topics, basic concepts, and new developments in the anthropological study of religion moves beyond cultural anthropology and ethnography to gather information from physical anthropology, prehistory, and archaeology. Written as a sophisticated but accessible treatment of the issues, Anthropology and Religion is a key text for upper-division courses.

Contents:

Anthropology and religion

Religion here and there

Religion, evolution, and prehistory

Religion, adaptation, and the environment

Natural symbols

Myth and ritual, old and new

Ritual and belief

Witchcraft and sorcery, past and present, far and near

Spirit possession, spirit mediumship, and shamanism

Religious movements and the origins of religion

Anthropology and religion in a global context : the world religions, conversion and complexity.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780759110458

075911045X

9780759110465

0759110468

OCLC:

144770251