Thinking About Religion by Ivan Strenski
This history-based introduction to the study of religion introduces the main methods, theories and theorists in the field. This book engages with leading figures from the history of anthropology, sociology, psychology, philosophy and theology who have influenced the study of religion. It reveals how the study of religion evolved in response to great cultural conflicts and major historical events. It also considers the influence of inner experience, tacking issues such as human survival and wish-fulfilment.
While Ivan Strenski's new book considers many of the key modern theorists of religion covered in other overviews of the modern study of religion, his is far more than a textbookHere, as in his other works, he is a kind of academic private eye. He strives to figure out not merely what the theorists were saying but why. To answer the why, he investigates the personal and professional lives of his subjects. He shows that theories are attempts to answer broader questions about culture, society, and the mind. Not only the answers but even the questions reflect the circumstances of those who offer them. This book, written as lucidly as any mere textbook, wonderfully presents theories as part of intellectual history. Robert A. Segal, Lancaster University Strenski ... is to be commended for stimulating discussion about the introductory course ...He no doubt has been looking for the perfect Reader himself. And now he has it. Journal of the American Academy of Religion A major contribution and recommended reading along with the Reader. Temenos
Ivan Strenski is Holstein Family and Community Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, Riverside. His previous publications include Four Theories of Myth in Twentieth-Century History (1988), Religion in Relation: Method, Application, and Moral Location (1993), Durkheim and the Jews of France (1997), Contesting Sacrifice: Religion, Nationalism and Social Thought (2002), Theology and the First Theory of Sacrifice (2003), and The New Durkheim: Essays on Philosophy, Religious Identity and the Politics of Knowledge (2006).
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781405120128 |
| ISBN 10 | 1405120126 |
| Title | Thinking About Religion |
| Author | Ivan Strenski |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | John Wiley and Sons Ltd |
| Year published | 2005-12-21 |
| Number of pages | 368 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |