Objects such as statues and icons have long been problematic in the study of religion, especially in European Christianities. Through examining two groups, the contemporary Pagan Glastonbury Goddess religion in the Southwest of England and a cult of the Virgin Mary in Andalusia, Spain, Amy Whitehead asserts that objects can be more than representational or symbolic. In the context of increasing academic interest in materiality in religions and cultures, she shows how statues, or 'things', are not always interacted with as if they are inert material against which we typically define ourselves as 'modern' humans. Bringing two distinct cultures and religions into tension, animism and 'the fetish' are used as ways in which to think about how humans interact with religious statues in Western Europe and beyond. Both theoretical and descriptive, the book illustrates how religions and cultural practices can be re-examined as performances that necessarily involve not only human persons, but also objects.

This book offers a clear, concise introduction to the meaning of problematic terms, and the ways in which they should be handled legitimately. Each entry considers the following: - Why is this concept problematic? - What are the origins of the concept? - How is it used or misused, and by whom? - Is it still a legitimate concept in the study of religion and, if so, what are its legitimate uses? - Are there other concepts that are preferable when writing on religion? Concepts covered include: belief, religion, magic, secularization and violence. This is a jargon-free, indispensable resource for students and scholars that encourages the critical use of terms in the study of religion.

Objects such as statues and icons have long been problematic in the study of religion, especially in European Christianities. Through examining two groups, the contemporary Pagan Glastonbury Goddess religion in the Southwest of England and a cult of the Virgin Mary in Andalusia, Spain, Amy Whitehead asserts that objects can be more than representational or symbolic. In the context of increasing academic interest in materiality in religions and cultures, she shows how statues, or 'things', are not always interacted with as if they are inert material against which we typically define ourselves as 'modern' humans. Bringing two distinct cultures and religions into tension, animism and 'the fetish' are used as ways in which to think about how humans interact with religious statues in Western Europe and beyond. Both theoretical and descriptive, the book illustrates how religions and cultural practices can be re-examined as performances that necessarily involve not only human persons, but also objects.

This book offers a clear, concise introduction to the meaning of problematic terms, and the ways in which they should legitimately be used. Each entry considers the following: - Why is this concept problematic? - What are the origins of the concept? - How is it used or misused, and by whom? - Is it still a legitimate concept in the study of religion and, if so, what are its legitimate uses? - Are there other concepts that are preferable when writing on religion? Concepts covered include: - Belief - Religion - Magic - Secularisation - Violence This is a jargon-free indispensable resource for students and scholars that encourages the critical use of terms in the study of religion.