A Reader in the Anthropology of Religion
Blackwell Anthologies in Social and Cultural Anthropology
2. Edition February 2008
692 Pages, Hardcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
A Reader in the Anthropology of Religion is a collection of
some of the most significant classic and contemporary writings in
the field. Updated in its second edition, this volume examines
numerous aspects of religion in a diversity of cultures and expands
upon the idea of what we mean by 'religion', linking it
to some of the broader questions of culture and politics.
* Collects classic and contemporary articles from the major
thinkers in both North American and British anthropology
* Emphasizes the ongoing conversation among anthropologists with
respect to central questions of religious behavior
* Presents comprehensive coverage of theory and religious
practice, through time and ethnographic regions, integrated by
editorial commentary
* Includes additional classic pieces by Pouillon, Burridge, and
Meyerhoff, as well as more contemporary work by Harding, De Boeck,
and Palmié
* Includes indexed bibliography arranged according to both
ethnographic region and religious topics and practices
Part II: Poiesis: The Composition of Religious Worlds:.
Part III: Praxis: Religious Action:.
Part IV: Historical Dynamics: Power, Modernity, and Change:.
Part V: Research Tools:
"The most comprehensive anthology on its subject, this is a splendid tool for teaching and a matchless scholarly resource." (International Review of Biblical Studies, 2008)
Praise for the first edition:
"[A] reader that ambitiously attempts to represent the full breadth, depth, and complexity of anthropology's investigations into religion.... The masterly general introduction situates this anthology within the long and often difficult anthropological engagement with this most mystified and powerful realm of social action.... [A]n excellent text." (International Social Science Review)
"A major guide to both the history of the anthropology of religion and new trends in research.... Lambek has compiled an excellent anthology." (Journal of Empirical Theology)
"A delicious smorgasbord of writings on a variety of religious traditions by scholars both well-known and emergent. This book belongs in the collection of every serious student of religion."
--Mari Womack, University of California, Los Angeles
"A rich selection of both core texts and supplemental exemplars. I recommend it."
--William H. Swatos, Jr., Baylor University
"A Reader in the Anthropology of Religion is an excellent resource for students in anthropology and religious studies, demonstrating a range of classical as well as more recent approaches and debates. It would work equally well as a course reader and as a reference work to extend a particular aspect or topic in the anthropology of religion."
--Fiona Bowie, University of Bristol
University of Toronto and the London School of Economics and
Political Science. He is author of The Weight of the Past:
Living with History in Mahajanga, Madagascar (2002),
Knowledge and Practice in Mayotte (1993), and Human
Spirits (1981), and co-editor of Tense Past: Cultural Essays
in Trauma and Memory (1996) and Illness and Irony: On the
Ambiguity of Suffering in Culture (2004) (both with Paul
Antze).
