A practical guide to critical religion / edited by Alexander Henley

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Henley, Alexander, editor.

Series:

Critiquing religion

Critiquing religion : discourse, culture, power

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Religion--Philosophy.

Religion.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

London : Bloomsbury Academic, 2026

Summary:

"Making critical theory on ‘religion’ accessible to students and skeptics, this Practical Guides how cases its relevance and usefulness for research and teaching on all sorts of contemporary subjects. Why do many scholars now doubt that ‘religion’ is a useful concept for understanding aspects of our world? What’s wrong with describing things as ‘religious’ or ‘non-religious’? Why does it matter, and what can we do about it? The book begins with a toolkit of concepts and methods for doing Critical Religion. Part I provides a roadmap to navigate this critical turn in religious studies and its implications across disciplines. In Part II, we hear from three influential theorists on the importance of being critical about ‘religion’ and the ‘secular’, and what it means to them. Then in Part III we see these insights put into practice: eight pioneering scholars present case studies that show how they have applied critical approaches in their own fields. Each case highlights ways in which Critical Religionhas enriched their empirical research or how they think about teaching. Through a diverse sample of cutting-edge scholarship, this book demonstrates what Critical Religion means in action. It includes perspectives on history, anthropology, sociology, political science and education, with cases representing research in contexts from Japan to the Middle East to Europe and North America"-- Bloomsbury Collections

Contents:

What is wrong with the category ‘religion’ and what can we do about it? / Alexander Henley

What is critical religion? Past, present and future of critical scholarship / Alexander Henley

The reluctant genealogist / Aaron W. Hughes

Classification matters / Russell T. McCutcheon

The ideology of religious studies then and now / Timothy Fitzgerald

The projection of ‘religion’ upon Japan by the United States since the 1850s / Mitsutoshi Horii

Religionization of minorities and culturalization of Christianity / Teemu Taira

Researching ‘religion’ in Indigenous cultures / Suzanne Owen

Managing ‘faith’ in a modern state / Steven J. Sutcliffe

Thinking outside of the ‘religion and politics’ duality / Yaacov Yadgar

The category of religion in the technology of governance / Naomi Goldenberg

The implications of critical religion for (gendered) religious education / Alison Jasper and John I’Anson

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index

Online resource; title from home page (Bloomsbury Collections, viewed April 3, 2026)

Other Format:

Print version: Practical guide to critical religion

ISBN:

9781350256491

1350256498

9781350256484

135025648X

9781350256507

1350256501

OCLC:

1579846668

Publisher Number:

CIPO000356148

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license