Introduction to the Study of Religion

Why do people study religion? How have they studied it in the past? How do we study religion today? Is the academic study of religion the same as religious education? These and many other questions are addressed in this engaging introduction to the discipline of religious studies, written by two experienced university teachers. The authors have crafted this book to familiarize novice students with key concepts and terminology in the study of religion. More advanced students will find a varied array of theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches to the field. Topics include: Definitions of religion, Perspectives in the study and teaching of religion, How religion began to be studied: traditional perspectives - philosophical and theological, How people experience religion: perspectives in the study of religious consciousness and perception - phenomenological and psychological, Studying religion within communities: social and cultural perspectives - anthropological, sociological, political and economic, Judging religion: critical perspectives - feminist approaches, the interaction of popular literature and religion, Contextual perspectives - historical and comparative.

Hillary Rodrigues is chair of the Religious Studies department at the University of Lethbridge, Canada, and recipient of that institution's Distinguished Teaching Award (2000). He is author of Introducing Hinduism (Routledge, 2005) John S. Harding is a member of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Lethbridge, Canada