Table of Contents

1. General Introduction Jeffrey Carter 2. Primitive Culture: researches in the Development of Mythology, Philosophy, Religion, Language, Arts and Custom Sir Edward B. Tylor 3. the Principles of Sociology, Vol 1 Herbert Spencer 4. The Religion of the Semites: The Fundamental Institutions W. Robertson Smith 5. The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion James G. Frazer 6. Sacrifice: Its Nature and Function Henri Hubert and Marcel Mauss 7. The Origin and Development of the Moral Ideas, Vol 1 Edward A. Westermarck 8. The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life Emile Durkheim 9. Totem and Taboo: Some Points of Agreement Between the Mental Lives of Savages and Neurotics Sigmund Freud 10. Religion in Essence and Manifestation Gerardus van der Leeuw 11. Myth and Cult Among Primitive Peoples Adolf Jensen 12. Nuer Religion E.E. Evans-Prichard 13. The Savage Mind Claude Levi-Strauss 14. Violence and the Sacred Rene Girard 15. Homo Necans: The Anthropology of Ancient Greek Sacrificial Ritual and Myth Walter Burkert 16. Theory of Religion Georges Bataille 17. Sacrifice as Quintessential Process: Prophylaxis or Abandonment? Victor Turner 18. Kingship and Sacrifice: Ritual and Society in Ancient Hawaii Valerio Valeri 19. Sacrifice in Africa: A Structuralist Approach Luc de Heusch 20. the Domestication of Sacrifice Jonathan Z. Smith 21. The Power of Sacrifice in Ancient Judaism and Christianity Robert J. Daly 22. Debreasting, Disarming, Beheading: Some Sacrificial Practices of Scyths and Amazons Bruce Lincoln 23. Women and Sacrifice: Male Narcissism and the Psychology of Religion William Beers 24. Throughout Your Generations Forever: Sacrifice, Religion and Paternity Nancy Jay 25. Prey Into Hunter: The Politics of Religious Experience Maurice Bloch 26. The Death and Resurrection of the Beloved Son: The Transformation of child Sacrifice in Judaism and Christianity Jon D. Levenson 27. Conclusion: Theory Making and Sacrifice Jeffrey Carter

About the Author

Jeffrey Carter is Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina.

Reviews

"Understanding Sacrifice is a revelatory read! Scholars and students alike will be treated to a telling history of continuous Western speculation on the meaning of sacrifice for over a century. At the same time, these judicious selections reveal the extent to which sacrifice, constituted as a problem, has informed the shape of the academic study of religion. Teachers will find Understanding Sacrifice to be a useful tool to introduce students to the diverse theories generated to explain the nature of religion and to the methodological approaches (psychological, sociological, anthropological, phenomenological, functionalist, structuralist, etc.) that have been applied to the study of religion. This reader is a most welcome volume." --Gary L. Ebersole, Professor of History & Religious Studies and Director, UMKC Center for Religious Studies

"Finally an anthology of the best classical and contemporary scholarly treatments of religious sacrifice. This is an invaluable resource for all professors, students, and scholars interested in one of the most important subjects in the study of religion." --Professor Brian K. Smith, University of California, Riverside

"In these skilfully edited excerpts, Jeffrey Carter enables students and general readers to advance both their appreciation of sacrifice and their awareness of modern concealments." --Professor Bruce Chilton, Amherst College

"Carter's book is the first to my knowledge that brings together a comprehensive collection of the major theories of sacrifice from the last 200 years. The excerpted texts are brief enough to be manageable but long enough to capture the main points in each of the authors' arguments. This is an important volume that will be of great value in the classroom and of general interest to anyone interested in religious studies, anthropology or sociology. I enjoyed reading it." --Hugh B. Urban, Assistant Professor, Department of Comparative Studies, Ohio State University

"...an accessible and thorough introduction to the major writers on this most written about topic. For that he is to be thanked. Congratulations are due for the manner in which he has produced this volume, his choice of texts to include, and the selections he has made from them....excellent book.... One could ask for little more." -RRT (Reviews in Religion and Theology), 21.1, 2/05