Methods for the Study of Religious Change (Hardcover)

Andre Droogers

ISBN 10: 1781790426 / ISBN 13: 9781781790427

Published by Equinox Publishing Ltd, London, 2013

About this Item

Hardcover. The world of religious experience is changing much faster than the discipline which claims to study it. Religious studies still uses Christianity as its measure, still frames the world through the model of five world religions, still largely avoids analysis of key issues around power, poverty, violence, pollution, science, and social conflict, and still looks to highlight differences rather than commonalities. Methods for the Study of Religious Change aims to redefine the study of religion as the study of worldviews, of ideas which are active in shaping the world. It argues that the study of religion should focus on people's worldview-making capacities and should contribute to the critical analysis of global problems and the promotion of cultural and spiritual respect across religions. Survey chapters on theory and method outline this new approach while case-study chapters illustrate these ideas with innovative ethnographies of ritual, experience, language, morals and identity. Methods for the Study of Religious Change aims to redefine the study of religion as the study of worldviews, of ideas which are active in shaping the world. It argues that the study of religion should focus on people's worldview-making capacities and should contribute to the critical analysis of global problems. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781781790427

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Methods for the Study of Religious Change (Hardcover)
• Publisher: Equinox Publishing Ltd, London
• Publication Date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1781790426
• ISBN 13: 9781781790427
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

The world of religious experience is changing much faster than the discipline which claims to study it. Religious studies still uses Christianity as its measure, still frames the world through the model of five world religions, still largely avoids analysis of key issues around power, poverty, violence, pollution, science, and social conflict, and still looks to highlight differences rather than commonalities. Methods for the Study of Religious Change aims to redefine the study of religion as the study of worldviews, of ideas which are active in shaping the world. It argues that the study of religion should focus on people's worldview-making capacities and should contribute to the critical analysis of global problems and the promotion of cultural and spiritual respect across religions. Survey chapters on theory and method outline this new approach while case-study chapters illustrate these ideas with innovative ethnographies of ritual, experience, language, morals and identity.

About the Author

Andre Droogers is Emeritus Professor of the Cultural Anthropology of Religion at VU University, Amsterdam. He is author of Play and Power in Religion: Collected Essays and co-editor of Studying Global Pentecostalism: Theories and Methods. Anton van Harskamp is Emeritus Professor of Religion, Identity and Civil Society at VU University, Amsterdam, and co-editor of Playful Religion: Challenges for the Study of Religion.