Religion, Modernity and Postmodernity

Religion, Modernity and Postmodernity is the first book to engage the study of religion with contemporary theorizing about culture. It addresses important issues such as whether there are postmodern forms of religion, whether theories of religion framed in terms of modernity can be recast to suit new or emerging circumstances, and how the study of religion can be better integrated with recent developments in the study of culture. The book locates the contemporary study of religion in terms of general theorizing, covering such issues as choice, globalization, and what postmodern religion might look like. International perspectives are then introduced, and the postmodernity thesis is explored in connection with Eastern Europe, Japan and Latin America, and the New Europe. Liberalism and fundamentalism are also addressed in other contexts, including Indonesia. In the concluding chapters of the volume the emphasis shifts away from the study of religion and cultural change to how postmodern thought, such as the rejection of metaphysics of presence, might serve to open up new theological possibilities.

Paul Heelas is Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Lancaster. His last book, The New Age Movement (Blackwell, 1995), has met with critical acclaim and he is also a Series Editor for the new Blackwell series Religion and Modernity.

David Martin is a Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Lancaster.