The debate over the proper definition of "religion" has occupied
the attention of social scientists for many years without shedding
much light on the nature of religion. One reason for this lack of
progress is that most participants in the debate have accepted a
naturalistic conception of religion. The goal of this volume is to
inspire a re-orientation in the way students of religion think
about the task of defining religion and to encourage an
appreciation of the fact that defining religion is fundamentally a
social and political process. The first substantive section of this
volume features critical views of the ways in which academicians
have traditionally defined religion and suggests new and
potentially more useful approaches. A second section features
essays that look at the development of the category of religion in
historical and cross-cultural context. These essays make it clear
that the notion that religion is a basic sphere of human experience
is a Western concept that emerged at a particular point in history
for particular political and ideological reasons. The final section
of the volume focuses on the social nature of the process of
defining religion and on the influence that changing definitions of
religion have on religious practice and beliefs.
General
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