Table of Contents

Preface to the Second Edition.

Preface to the First Edition.

Acknowledgments.

1 Theories and Controversies.

Introduction.

Issues in the Study of Religion.

The Origins of Religion.

Defining Religion.

Conclusion.

Notes.

References and Further Reading.

2 The Body as Symbol.

Introduction.

Symbolic Classification and the Body.

Training the Body and Social Control.

Personal and Cultural Symbols.

Conclusion.

Notes.

References and Further Reading.

3 Maintaining and Transforming Boundaries: the Politics of Religious Identity.

Introduction.

Ritual Purity and Social Boundaries.

Negotiating Identities.

Contesting Boundaries.

Conclusion.

Notes.

References and Further Reading.

4 Sex, Gender, and the Sacred.

Introduction.

Looking at Women.

Reflexivity and Gender.

Gendered Studies.

Conclusion.

Notes.

References and Further Reading.

5 Religion, Culture, and Environment.

Introduction.

Cosmology.

Mythology, Gender, and the Environment.

Totemism and the Dreamtime.

Conclusion.

Notes.

References and Further Reading.

6 Ritual Theory, Rites of Passage, and Ritual Violence.

Introduction.

What is Ritual?.

Rites of Passage.

Ritual Violence.

Conclusion.

Notes.

References and Further Reading.

7 Shamanism.

Introduction.

Different Approaches to the Study of Shamanism.

Arctic Shamanism.

Shamanism in the Industrialized West.

Conclusion.

Notes.

References and Further Reading.

8 Witchcraft and the Evil Eye.

Introduction.

Witchcraft in Africa.

Witchcraft in Rural France.

The Evil Eye.

The Mentalities Debate.

Notes.

References and Further Reading.

9 Pilgrimage.

Introduction.

Approaches to the Study of Pilgrimage.

The Politics of Religious Synthesis.

Conclusion.

Notes.

References and Further Reading.

10 Myth.

Introduction.

Myth and Ritual.

Malinowski and the Function of Myth.

The Power of Myth.

The Structural Study of Myth.

Joseph Campbell and the Monomyth.

History, Myth, and Memory.

Conclusion.

Notes.

References and Further Reading.

Appendix: Film and Video Resources.

Index

About the Author

Fiona Bowie is Senior Lecturer in Anthropology and Religious Studies at the University of Bristol.