Religions In Practice: An Approach to the Anthropology of Religion (2nd Edition) [Paperback]

John R. Bowen (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0205336329 | ISBN-13: 978-0205336326 | Publication Date: August 23, 2001 | Edition: 2

This book takes a unique perspective as it looks at how people engage in everyday religious practices , such as prayer, sacrifice, pilgrimage, and dress, as well as investigates major issues of gender, nation-states, and laws with respect to religion. No other text examines the full spectrum of religions from small-scale societies to full-blown "world religious movements." The in-depth treatment of Islam and Christianity is of particular interest to students, and is easily expanded to include field projects directly related to material covered in the text.The revised edition includes up-to-the-minute examples and high-interest news stories from today's headlines.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Religion has often been considered a mystery to those who don't understand it or its theories. This book presents analyses and case studies on a wide variety of aspects of religion, from magic and healing to pilgrimages and contemporary religious movements. The book offers a discussion of theories of religion before considering topics of rites of passage, magic, witchcraft, sacrifice, taboos, images, sacred speech, religious movements, and the place of religion in today's nation-states. The examples come from all over the world and combines from small scale societies as well as large scale ones. Anthropologists of religious studies, those of both the cloth and secular sectors. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

John R. Bowen is a Dunbar-Van Cleve Professor in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, where he teaches Sociocultural Anthropology. His research currently focuses on comparative social studies of Islam across the world, and his ethnographic studies take place in Indonesia, France, and England.

 

Dr. Bowen works with colleagues in several other departments as director of the Pluralism, Politics, and Religion Initiative, which holds regular workshops on questions of religious and political pluralism, and has created a collaborative graduate training program with partner universities in Europe—as of 2009, in Paris, Utrecht, and Göttingen.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Allyn & Bacon; 2 edition (August 23, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0205336329
• ISBN-13: 978-0205336326
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,767,036 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars textbook anthropological approach to religion, August 2, 2001

By 

Wyote (Seoul) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Religions in Practice: An Approach to the Anthropology of Religion (Paperback)

John Bowen, a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, wrote this as a college textbook for anthropology of religion. For this it is excellent. It is also really good for lay readers looking for an introduction to this field. It includes a review of religious studies theories from Hegel and Edward Tylor to Clifford Geertz. It includes examples from many religious traditions commonly studied--Catholicism, Islam, Judaism, Umbanda, Native American traditions, Cargo cults, Japanese New Religions, Quakers, Mormonism, Hinduism; a good breadth indeed.

His chapters are: 1) Elements and Theories of Religion; 2) Doctrine and Practice in Tension; 3) Transitions in Life and Death; 4) Extending Our Powers: "Magic" and Healing; 5) Explaining Misfortune: Witchcraft and Sorcery; 6) Sacrifice Contested; 7) Prohibitions and Boundaries; 8) Objects, Images, and Worship; 9) Sacred Speech and Divine Power; 10) Places and Pilgrims; 11) Religious Authority and Religious Movements; 12) The Place of Religions in Modern Nation-States.

The book is expensive, so unless you find it used or really want it, I wouldn't buy it. But I really wanted it, and wasn't at all disappointed.

5.0 out of 5 stars PERFECT, August 20, 2010

By 

Silvia V. - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Religions in Practice: An Approach to the Anthropology of Religion (5th Edition) (Paperback)

Book was in Perfect Condition. As described. New. The good thing was that I ordered the book Yesterday! August 19, 2010. The Book Arrived today (August 20th). The next day!!!!! The estimated delivery date was September 13, 2010!!!! I need this book for school so, the delivery time was great. I paid for regular shipping. I didn't have to pay extra shipping for next day nor two day delivery!!! I am very happy and I will definitely keep buying from this seller again. Thank You, Mentorsbook.