Now available in a revised second edition, this popular introduction to the anthropology of religion combines discussion of the origin and development of debates within the field, with a look at where the subject is heading.
Introduces readers to the central theoretical ideas in the anthropology of religion and illustrates them with specific case studies.
Features self-contained chapters, each with its own comprehensive bibliography, so that they can be approached in any order.
Contains an additional chapter on mythology and a number of new illustrations.
Incorporates coverage of the following topics in the existing structure: pilgrimage, spirit possession and cargo cults.
Includes a list of ethnographic films and videos that can be used to illustrate and extend discussion of particular issues.
Preface to the Second Edition. Preface to the First Edition.
Acknowledgments.
1 Theories and Controversies.
Introduction.
Issues in the Study of Religion.
The Origins of Religion.
Defining Religion.
Conclusion.
Notes.
References and Further Reading.
2 The Body as Symbol.
Introduction.
Symbolic Classification and the Body.
Training the Body and Social Control.
Personal and Cultural Symbols.
Conclusion.
Notes.
References and Further Reading.
3 Maintaining and Transforming Boundaries: the Politics of Religious Identity.
Introduction.
Ritual Purity and Social Boundaries.
Negotiating Identities.
Contesting Boundaries.
Conclusion.
Notes.
References and Further Reading.
4 Sex, Gender, and the Sacred.
Introduction.
Looking at Women.
Reflexivity and Gender.
Gendered Studies.
Conclusion.
Notes.
References and Further Reading.
5 Religion, Culture, and Environment.
Introduction.
Cosmology.
Mythology, Gender, and the Environment.
Totemism and the Dreamtime.
Conclusion.
Notes.
References and Further Reading.
6 Ritual Theory, Rites of Passage, and Ritual Violence.
Introduction.
What is Ritual?.
Rites of Passage.
Ritual Violence.
Conclusion.
Notes.
References and Further Reading.
7 Shamanism.
Introduction.
Different Approaches to the Study of Shamanism.
Arctic Shamanism.
Shamanism in the Industrialized West.
Conclusion.
Notes.
References and Further Reading.
8 Witchcraft and the Evil Eye.
Introduction.
Witchcraft in Africa.
Witchcraft in Rural France.
The Evil Eye.
The Mentalities Debate.
Notes.
References and Further Reading.
9 Pilgrimage.
Introduction.
Approaches to the Study of Pilgrimage.
The Politics of Religious Synthesis.
Conclusion.
Notes.
References and Further Reading.
10 Myth.
Introduction.
Myth and Ritual.
Malinowski and the Function of Myth.
The Power of Myth.
The Structural Study of Myth.
Joseph Campbell and the Monomyth.
History, Myth, and Memory.
Conclusion.
Notes.
References and Further Reading.
Appendix: Film and Video Resources.
Index
