Studying religion : an introduction / Russell T. McCutcheon.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McCutcheon, Russell T., 1961- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Religion--Study and teaching.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xiv, 206 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Durham : Acumen Publishing, 2007.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Widely used as a primer, a text and a provocation to critical thinking, Studying Religion aims to develop students' skills. The book clearly explains the methods and theories employed in the study of religion. Essays are offered on a range of topics: from the history and functions of religion to public discourse on religion and the classification of religions. The works of key scholars - from Karl Marx, Ludwig Wittgenstein and Rudolf Otto to Mircea Eliade, James G. Frazer, and Sigmund Freud - are analysed and explored. Studying Religion represents a shift away from the traditional focus of describing the exotic or curious religious 'Other' to an examination of how religious behaviours and institutions are studied. The book will be invaluable to students of religious studies.

Contents:

Introduction: What is the study of religion?

What's in a name?

The history of religion?

The essentials of religion

The functions of religion

The public discourse on religion

Religion and the insider/outsider problem

The resemblance among religions

Religion and classification

Afterword: The necessary lie : duplicity in the disciplines / by Jonathan Z. Smith.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 02 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-315-71134-6

1-317-49166-1

1-84553-746-7

OCLC:

958110030