This clear and engaging guide introduces students to key areas of the field and shows how to apply an anthropological approach to the study of religion in the contemporary world.
Jack David Eller is a retired Associate Professor of Anthropology at the Community College of Denver and Head of Anthropology of Religion for the Global Center for Religion Research in Denver, USA. He is the author of a major introductory textbook, Cultural Anthropology: Global Forces, Local Lives (fourth edition, 2020).
1. Studying Religion Anthropologically: Definitions and Theories 2. Beliefs, Beings, and Bodies 3. Symbols, Specialists, and Substance 4. Religious Language: Words of Truth, Words of Power 5. Ritual: Religion in Action 6. Religion and Morality: Forming Society, Transforming Self 7. Religion, Medicine, and Wellness 8. Religious Change and New Religious Movements 9. Translocal or "World" Religions 10. Religious Fundamentalism 11. Religious Violence 12. Secularism and Irreligion Glossary