Studying Religion: An Introduction

Studying Religion provides an accessible introduction to the methods and theories of the academic study of religion, exploring how scholars define and study religion. It includes analysis of classic and contemporary scholars' works and encourages readers to consider how they divide up, name, and know the world around them. The new final chapter, Identification Matters, presents contemporary instances where different approaches to defining and studying religion can study other issues of contemporary relevance.

Format: Hardback
Length: 284 pages
Publication date: 22 January 2024
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Studying Religion is a widely used textbook that serves as a primer, a class text, or a catalyst for critical thinking in the academic study of religion. Written for newcomers to the field, the book offers concise chapters that explore the three main ways in which religion is defined and consider a range of related topics, including the history and functions of religion, its public discourse, religion in the courts, and the classification of diverse groups into world religions. The book employs a multidisciplinary approach, drawing from the works of classic and contemporary scholars such as Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Bruce Lincoln, and Naomi Goldenberg.

Through analytical and engaging chapters, Studying Religion encourages readers to reflect on the methods and theories employed in the study of religion. It challenges the traditional descriptive and comparative approach and instead invites readers to consider how they divide up, name, and come to know the world around them. The book also includes a new final chapter, "Identification Matters," which adds to the case studies included throughout the book and presents a collection of contemporary instances where different approaches to defining and studying religion make it possible to study other issues of contemporary relevance, including those involving gender, race, and the rights of indigenous peoples.

The new chapter explicitly addresses practical topics of identity and status that have always been implicit throughout the book, bringing into the classroom a wide variety of timely and relevant topics that can be better understood through its approach. Studying Religion remains invaluable to all students of religious studies, whether in an introductory class or as an example of an analytical and interdisciplinary approach to the study of religion.

Weight: 720g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032469102
Edition number: 3 ed