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Anthropology and Religion

What We Know, Think, and Question, 2nd Edition

Robert L. Winzeler

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.
  • Details
  • Details
  • Author
  • Author
  • TOC
  • TOC
  • Reviews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Features
  • Resources
  • Resources
AltaMira Press
Pages: 338 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9⅜
978-0-7591-2189-8 • Hardback • April 2012 • $143.00 • (£110.00)
978-0-7591-2190-4 • Paperback • April 2012 • $62.00 • (£48.00)
978-0-7591-2191-1 • eBook • April 2012 • $58.50 • (£45.00)
Subjects: Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural
Robert L. Winzeler is professor emeritus of anthropology, University of Nevada, Reno.
Preface

Part 1: 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

Part 2: 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

Part 3: 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?

Part 4: 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 Adaptation

Part 5: 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

Part 6: 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

Part 7: Ritual and Belief
The Nature of Ritual
Religious 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

Part 8: 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

Part 9: Spirit Possession, Spirit Mediumship, and Shamanism
Spirit Possession and Spirit Mediumship
Shamanism
Shamanism in the Modern World

Part 10: Religious Movements and the Origins of Religions
Three Native American Movements
Cargo Cults in Melanesia
A Religious Movement in Borneo
Revitalization?

Part 11: Anthropology and the World 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

Part 12: 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

Notes
Glossary
References
This is an excellent review of the vast body of research anthropologists have done on religion around the world and through the history of our species. Winzeler discusses and critiques the underlying assumptions and theoretical orientations as well as the empirical findings of a number of anthropologists. The book is clear that these are not just matters of long ago and far away but pertain to the contemporary world of today's news. This is an excellent book for courses on the anthropology of religion as well as for people who want to know what anthropologists have to say on the topic. In many years of teaching courses on the anthropology of religion, I have found no book to match it for comprehensive coverage.
— E. Paul Durrenberger, Pennsylvania State University


New to the Second Edition:

• Chapter on religious change under communism and capitalism
• Discussion of the popular topic of the possible genetic basis of
religion in human society
• Section on fundamentalism in the discussion of world religions and
another case study in contemporary rumor or conspiracy mythology
• Expanded treatments of a witchcraft and shamanism
• Glossary of key terms


FOR PROFESSORS
Ancillary Materials are available for this title. For access to these professor use only materials, please Sign-In if you are a registered user, or Register then email us at rltextbooks@bloomsbury.com
Test Bank. The Test Bank includes a variety of test questions and is available in either Word or PDF formats. For every chapter in the text, the Test Bank includes a complete test with a variety of question types, including multiple choice, true false, and essay formats.
To use our Test Bank in Word or PDF, please Sign-In if you are a registered user, or Register then email us at rltextbooks@bloomsbury.com
Lecture Notes. The Lecture Notes provide the tables and figures from the text.

Anthropology and Religion

What We Know, Think, and Question, 2nd Edition

Cover Image
Hardback
Paperback
eBook
Summary
Summary
  • 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.
Details
Details
  • AltaMira Press
    Pages: 338 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9⅜
    978-0-7591-2189-8 • Hardback • April 2012 • $143.00 • (£110.00)
    978-0-7591-2190-4 • Paperback • April 2012 • $62.00 • (£48.00)
    978-0-7591-2191-1 • eBook • April 2012 • $58.50 • (£45.00)
    Subjects: Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural
Author
Author
  • Robert L. Winzeler is professor emeritus of anthropology, University of Nevada, Reno.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
  • Preface

    Part 1: 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

    Part 2: 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

    Part 3: 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?

    Part 4: 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 Adaptation

    Part 5: 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

    Part 6: 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

    Part 7: Ritual and Belief
    The Nature of Ritual
    Religious 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

    Part 8: 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

    Part 9: Spirit Possession, Spirit Mediumship, and Shamanism
    Spirit Possession and Spirit Mediumship
    Shamanism
    Shamanism in the Modern World

    Part 10: Religious Movements and the Origins of Religions
    Three Native American Movements
    Cargo Cults in Melanesia
    A Religious Movement in Borneo
    Revitalization?

    Part 11: Anthropology and the World 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

    Part 12: 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

    Notes
    Glossary
    References
Reviews
Reviews
  • This is an excellent review of the vast body of research anthropologists have done on religion around the world and through the history of our species. Winzeler discusses and critiques the underlying assumptions and theoretical orientations as well as the empirical findings of a number of anthropologists. The book is clear that these are not just matters of long ago and far away but pertain to the contemporary world of today's news. This is an excellent book for courses on the anthropology of religion as well as for people who want to know what anthropologists have to say on the topic. In many years of teaching courses on the anthropology of religion, I have found no book to match it for comprehensive coverage.
    — E. Paul Durrenberger, Pennsylvania State University


Features
Features
  • New to the Second Edition:

    • Chapter on religious change under communism and capitalism
    • Discussion of the popular topic of the possible genetic basis of
    religion in human society
    • Section on fundamentalism in the discussion of world religions and
    another case study in contemporary rumor or conspiracy mythology
    • Expanded treatments of a witchcraft and shamanism
    • Glossary of key terms


Resources
Resources
  • FOR PROFESSORS
    Ancillary Materials are available for this title. For access to these professor use only materials, please Sign-In if you are a registered user, or Register then email us at rltextbooks@bloomsbury.com
    Test Bank. The Test Bank includes a variety of test questions and is available in either Word or PDF formats. For every chapter in the text, the Test Bank includes a complete test with a variety of question types, including multiple choice, true false, and essay formats.
    To use our Test Bank in Word or PDF, please Sign-In if you are a registered user, or Register then email us at rltextbooks@bloomsbury.com
    Lecture Notes. The Lecture Notes provide the tables and figures from the text.

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