ENGLISH

Conceptions of the afterlife in early civilizations: Universalism, constructivism and near-death experience

By Gregory Shushan

Book information

Publisher
Continuum International Publishing Group
Year
2009
ISBN
0826440738, 9780826440730, 1441130888, 9781441130884, 9781441188120, 9781441177759
LCC
BL535 .C65 2009
Google Books ID
T9W6Op3aT_MC
Language
english
Format
PDF
Filesize
2 MB (2109856 bytes)
Series
Continuum advances in religious studies
Pages
255\255
Orientation
yes
Scanned
no
Time added
2011-06-04 13:46:07

Description

Gregory Shushan challenges post-modern scholarly attitudes concerning cross-cultural comparisons in the study of religions. In an original and innovative piece of comparative research, he analyses afterlife conceptions in five ancient civilisations (Old and Middle Kingdom Egypt, Sumerian and Old Babylonian Mesopotamia, Vedic India, pre-Buddhist China, and pre-Columbian Mesoamerica). These are considered in light of historical and contemporary reports of near-death experiences, and shamanic afterlife ‘journeys'. Conceptions of the Afterlife in Early Civilizations is a significant study, for it presents a comprehensive new comparative framework for the cross-cultural study of myth and religion, while at the same time providing a fascinating exploration of the interface between belief and experience.

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