Table of Contents

List of Contributors.
Introduction: Robert A. Segal.


Part I: Approaches.


1. Anthropology of Religion: Fiona Bowie(University of
Bristol).


2. The Comparative Method: Paul Roscoe(University of Maine).


3. An Economics of Religion: Rodney Stark (University of
Washington).


4. Literature and Religion: Stephen Prickett (Baylor
University).


5. Phenomenology of Religion: Thomas Ryba (Purdue
University).


6. Philosophy of Religion: Charles Taliaferro (St Olaf
College).


7. Psychology of Religion: Roderick Main (University of
Essex).


8. Sociology of Religion: Grace Davie (University of
Exeter).


9. Theology: Ian Markham (Hartford Seminary).


Part II: Topics.


10. Body: Richard H. Roberts (Stirling University).


11. Death and Afterlife: Douglas J. Davies (University of
Durham).


12. Ethics: G. Scott Davis (University of Richmond).


13. Fundamentalism: Henry Munson (University of Maine).


14. Heaven and Hell: Jeffrey Burton Russell (University of
California at Santa Barbara).


15. Holy Men/Holy Women: Lawrence S. Cunningham (University of
Notre Dame).


16. Magic: Gustavo Benavides (Villanova University).


17. Modernity and Postmodernity: Colin Campbell (University of
York).


18. Mysticism: Jeffrey J. Kripal (Rice University).


19. Myth: Robert A. Segal (University of Aberdeen).


20. Nationalism and Religion: Mark Juergensmeyer (University of
California at Santa Barbara).


21. New Religious Movements: Lorne L. Dawson (University of
Waterloo).


22. Pilgrimage: Simon Coleman (University of Durham).


23. Ritual: Catherine Bell (Santa Clara University).


24. Secularization: Steve Bruce (University of Aberdeen).


Consolidated Bibliography.


Index

About the Author

Robert A. Segal is Sixth Century Chair in Religious Studies at the University of Aberdeen. His previous publications include Joseph Campbell: An Introduction (1987), Theorizing about Myth (1999), The Myth and Ritual Theory (ed., Wiley-Blackwell, 1998), Hero Myths: A Reader (ed., Wiley-Blackwell, 2000), and Myth: A Very Short Introduction (2004).

Reviews

"Its value for students of religion is that it embraces a
comparative approach to the discipline of religious studies,
presenting a diversity of perspectives without favoring one over
the other, while at the same time raising critical questions about
the limits of each approach." (Teaching Theology and
Religion, July 2010)



?Today?s world is in crying need of an understanding
of ?religion?, as well as specific religious
traditions. This volume, expertly edited and introduced by Segal,
admirably fulfills this need with a series of essays that combine
clarity and accessibility with nuance and balance ? The 25
essays in this collection are uniformly of high quality, each with
a helpful bibliography that supplements the volume
bibliography? this work will command a wide audience, ranging
from the general public to religious studies specialists. Highly
recommended; all libraries; all levels.?

CHOICE


?This is an excellent volume of papers about the study of
religion both in conception and execution ? Robert Segal has
done a marvelous job in editing the volume and providing a
bibliography and index ? a very useful, well constructed and
interesting book that should be widely read and used on
courses.? British Association for the Study of Religions
Bulletin


 


"A useful addition to the growing collection of compendia on
theory and method ... a solid, provocative, and largely productive
set of essays." Journal of Contemporary Religion


?This is a work that can be used in many ways ? as a
companion to the study of religion, as a commentary on the place of
the study of religion in a largely secular and cross-cultural
world, as a guide to various interdisciplinary approaches to the
study of religion, as an insight into key writers in the modern
historiography of the subject, as a snapshot of different topics,
and as a reference work to some of the key figures. These uses will
make the book suitable for different types of library and research
setting ? These are not essays assembled in a hit-and-miss
way simply to earn a fast buck and satisfy research assessment
exercise criteria: they are relevant and part of a coherent body of
work here. It puts the case (if that is necessary) that the study
of religion is now a discipline in its own right.?
Reference Reviews