Religion in 50 Words: A Critical Vocabulary

Description

Religion in 50 Words: A Critical Vocabulary is the first of a two-volume work that seeks to transform the study of religion by offering a radically critical perspective. It does so by providing a succinct and critical examination of the key words used in the modern study of religion. Arranged alphabetically, the book explores the historic roots, varied uses, and current significance and utility of the technical terms used within the current field of religious studies. These are the terms that both students and scholars routinely deploy to think about, describe, and analyze data―sometimes without realizing that they are themselves technical tools in need of attention. Among the topics covered: Belief Critical Culture Definition Environment Gender Ideology Lived religion Material religion Orthodoxy Politics Race Sacred/profane Secular Theory This book submits all of its terms to a critical interrogation and subsequent re-description, thereby allowing a collective reframing of the field. This volume is an indispensable resource for students and academics working in religious studies. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Contents List of consultants Acknowledgments Introduction: a user's guide 1 Affect 2 Authenticity 3 Authority 4 Belief 5 Canon 6 Classification 7 Cognition 8 Comparison 9 Critical 10 Culture 11 Definition 12 Description 13 Diaspora 14 Environment 15 Essence 16 Experience 17 Explanation 18 Faith 19 Function 20 Gender 21 History 22 Identity 23 Ideology 24 Indigeneity 25 Interpretation 26 Law 27 Lived religion 28 Material religion 29 Method 30 Methodological agnosticism 31 Origin 32 Orthodoxy 33 Phenomenology 34 Pluralism 35 Politics 36 Power 37 Practice 38 Primitive 39 Race 40 Redescription 41 Religion 42 Religious literacy 43 Sacred/profane 44 Secular 45 Society 46 Status 47 Text 48 Theory 49 World religions 50 Worldview Appendix: a word on etymologies Index