Critical Terms for Religious Studies

by Taylor, Mark C.

• ISBN13: 9780226791579
• ISBN10: 0226791572
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1998-08-01
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

A century that began with modernism sweeping across Europe is ending with a remarkable resurgence of religious beliefs and practices throughout the world. Wherever one looks today, from headlines about political turmoil in the Middle East to pop music and videos, one cannot escape the pivotal role of religious beliefs and practices in shaping selves, societies, and cultures. Following in the very successful tradition of Critical Terms for Literary Studies and Critical Terms for Art History, this book attempts to provide a revitalized, self-aware vocabulary with which this bewildering religious diversity can be accurately described and responsibly discussed. Leading scholars working in a variety of traditions demonstrate through their incisive discussions that even our most basic terms for understanding religion are not neutral but carry specific historical and conceptual freight. These essays adopt the approach that has won this book's predecessors such widespread acclaim: each provides a concise history of a critical term, explores the issues raised by the term, and puts the term to use in an analysis of a religious work, practice, or event. Moving across Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and Native American and Mayan religions, contributors explore terms ranging from experience, territory, and image, to God, sacrifice, and transgression. The result is an essential reference that will reshape the field of religious studies and transform the way in which religion is understood by scholars from all disciplines, including anthropology, sociology, psychology, cultural studies, gender studies, and literary studies.

Table of Contents

Introduction	1	(21)
Mark C. Taylor
Belief	21	(15)
Donald S. Lopez, Jr.
Body	36	(19)
William R. LaFleur
Conflict	55	(15)
Bruce Lincoln
Culture	70	(24)
Tomoko Masuzawa
Experience	94	(23)
Robert H. Sharf
Gender	117	(19)
Daniel Boyarin
God	136	(24)
Francis Schussler Fiorenza
Gordon D. Kaufman
Image	160	(13)
Margaret R. Miles
Liberation	173	(13)
Kenneth Surin
Modernity	186	(19)
Gustavo Benavides
Performance	205	(20)
Catherine Bell
Person	225	(14)
Charles E. Winquist
Rationality	239	(17)
Paul Stoller
Relic	256	(13)
Gregory Schopen
Religion, Religions, Religious	269	(16)
Jonathan Z. Smith
Sacrifice	285	(13)
Jill Robbins
Territory	298	(16)
Sam Gill
Time	314	(20)
Anthony F. Aveni
Transformation	334	(15)
Bruce B. Lawrence
Transgression	349	(16)
Michael Taussing
Value	365	(18)
Edith Wyschogrod
Writing	383	(12)
David Tracy
Contributors	395	(4)
Index	399