In Search of the Sacred (Paperback)

Dr. Clinton Bennett

ISBN 10: 0304336823 / ISBN 13: 9780304336821

Published by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, London, 1996

About this Item

Paperback. This text traces the growth and development of two related disciplines, anthropology and the study of religions. Locating these disciplines within the intellectual climate of the 19th century, the study considers the contributions of scholars such as James George Frazer, F. Max Muller, Emile Durkheim, Mary Douglas and Clifford Geertz, within an historical framework. The author argues that both anthropologists and students of religion have abandoned an objective approach in favour of personal engagement with their subjects, replacing observation with conversation, monologue with dialogue, a text-based with people-based approach. He reveals how each discipline has influenced the other both in terms of methodology and by the provision of data. The book also explores the criticism levelled at both disciplines that they have aided colonial domination of the developing world. Traces the growth and development of two related disciplines, anthropology and the study of religions. Locating these within the intellectual climate of the 19th century, the author reveals how each has influenced the other, and explores the criticism that they have aided colonial domination. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780304336821

Bibliographic Details

• Title: In Search of the Sacred (Paperback)
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, London
• Publication Date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0304336823
• ISBN 13: 9780304336821
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

This text traces the growth and development of two related disciplines, anthropology and the study of religions. Locating these disciplines within the intellectual climate of the 19th century, the study considers the contributions of scholars such as James George Frazer, F. Max Muller, Emile Durkheim, Mary Douglas and Clifford Geertz, within an historical framework. The author argues that both anthropologists and students of religion have abandoned an objective approach in favour of personal engagement with their subjects, replacing observation with conversation, monologue with dialogue, a text-based with people-based approach. He reveals how each discipline has influenced the other both in terms of methodology and by the provision of data. The book also explores the criticism levelled at both disciplines that they have aided colonial domination of the developing world.

About the Author

Clinton Bennett teaches Religious Studies at the State University of New York at New Paltz,
USA.