Anthropology and religion : what we know, think, and question

Drawing from ethnographic examples found throughout the world, this revised and updated text offers an introduction to what anthropologists know or think about religion, how they have studied it, and how they have interpreted or explained it since the late nineteenth century. Robert Winzeler’s balanced consideration of classic topics, basic concepts, and new developments in the anthropological study of religion moves beyond cultural anthropology and ethnography to gather information from physical anthropology, prehistory, and archaeology. Written as a sophisticated but accessible treatment of the issues, Anthropology and Religion is a key text for upper-division courses. Content: Anthropology and religion : Words and things ; Is religion a human universal? ; The meaning of religion ; The anthropology of religion ; Types of anthropological studies of religion ; Types of religion ; Religions versus religion -- Religion here and there: Western notions in comparative perspective : Religion is primarily a matter of belief or faith ; Religion and identity: one at a time ; Religion is a separate realm of life ; Religion is associated with a special building ; Religion concerns transcendental rather than practical matters ; Religion is the basis of morality -- Religion, evolution, and prehistory : The bio-evolution of religion ; When did religion develop? ; The origin of religion: how it began ; The nature of early religion ; Has religion evolved? -- Religion, adaptation, and the environment : Ecological functionalism ; Religion as a regulator of ecological processes ; Cultural materialist explanations of seemingly maladaptive ritual practices (or, Solving the riddles of culture) ; Religion and environmentalism ; The problem of reaching conclusions about religion and adaption -- Natural symbols : Are there natural symbols? ; The natural environment as symbolism ; Animals ; Colors ; Lateral symbolism: left- and right-handedness ; Percussion sounds ; The head and its parts ; Natural symbols and natural religion -- Myth and ritual, old and new : What more exactly is myth? ; Theories, approaches, and explanations of myth ; The protagonists of myth ; Myth and gender ; Contemporary urban myths ; Contemporary rumor myths -- Ritual and belief : The nature of ritual ; Some common forms of religious ritual ; Some common types of ritual ; The structure of ritual according to Arnold van Gennep ; Journeys and boundaries ; Rites of passage ; Mortuary rituals ; Bad death ; Funerals as rites of passage -- Witchcraft and sorcery: past and present, far and near : Traditional witchcraft and sorcery in small-scale societies ; Witchcraft in late medieval and early modern Europe ; Modern witchcraft or neo-paganism -- Spirit possession, spirit mediumship, and shamanism : Spirit possession and spirit mediumship ; Shamanism ; Shamanism in the modern world -- Religious movements and the origins of religions : Three Native American movements ; Cargo cults in Melanesia ; A religious movement in Borneo ; Revitalization? -- Anthropology and the world's religions : The world religions from an anthropological perspective ; Anthropological studies of the world religions ; The conversion of indigenous peoples to and within the world religions -- Anthropology and religion on a larger canvas: religious change under socialism and capitalism : Religious change in socialist and postsocialist societies ; Socialism and shamanism in Siberia and Mongolia ; Religion under socialism in China ; Religion, social complexity, and socialism in Cuba ; Vietnam and Laos as socialist states ; The return of the occult. Abstract: Drawing from ethnographic examples found throughout the world, this revised and updated text, hailed as the ''best general text on religion in anthropology available,'' offers an introduction to what anthropologists know or think about religion, how they have studied it, and how they interpret or explain it since the late 19th century. Read more... Drawing from ethnographic examples found throughout the world, this book offers a general introduction to what anthropologists know or think about religion, how they have studied it, and how they have interpreted or explained it since the late nineteenth century. Winzeler's balanced consideration of classic topics, basic concepts, and new developments in the anthropological study of religion moves beyond cultural anthropology and ethnography to gather information from physical anthropology, prehistory, and archaeology. Written as a sophisticated but accessible treatment of the issues, Anthropology and Religion is a key text for upper-division courses.

About the Author:
Robert L. Winzeler is professor of anthropology at the University of Nevada, Reno

Drawing from ethnographic examples found throughout the world, this revised and updated text, hailed as the “best general text on religion in anthropology available,” offers an introduction to what anthropologists know or think about religion, how they have studied it, and how they interpret or explain it since the late 19th century.