In present-day pluralistic and individualized societies, the question of how individuals appropriate religious traditions has become particularly relevant. In this volume, psychologists, anthropologists, and historians examine the presence of religious voices in narrative constructions of the self. The focus is on the multiple ways religious stories and practices feature in self-narratives about major life transitions. The contributions explore the ways in which such voices inform the accommodation and interpretation of these transitions. In addition to being inspired by Dan McAdams' approach to life stories as 'personal myths' that inform us about the quests of individuals for a satisfactory balance between agency and communion, most of the contributors have found the theory of 'the dialogical self' developed by Hubert Hermans particularly useful. Thus the contributions explore the ways in which identity formation is shaped by internal dialogues between personal and collective voices in the context of the specific constellations of power in which these voices are embedded. The volume is divided into three parts addressing theoretical and methodological considerations, religious resources in narratives on life transitions, and religious positioning in diaspora.

This book investigates female Muslims pilgrimage practices and how these relate to women's mobility, social relations, identities, and the power structures that shape women's lives. Bringing together scholars from different disciplines and regional expertise, it offers in-depth investigation of the gendered dimensions of Muslim pilgrimage and the life-worlds of female pilgrims. With a variety of case studies, the contributors explore the experiences of female pilgrims to Mecca and other pilgrimage sites, and how these are embedded in historical and current contexts of globalisation and transnational mobility. This volume will be relevant to a broad audience of researchers across pilgrimage, gender, religious, and Islamic studies.

This book investigates female Muslims pilgrimage practices and how these relate to women's mobility, social relations, identities, and the power structures that shape women's lives. Bringing together scholars from different disciplines and regional expertise, it offers in-depth investigation of the gendered dimensions of Muslim pilgrimage and the life-worlds of female pilgrims. With a variety of case studies, the contributors explore the experiences of female pilgrims to Mecca and other pilgrimage sites, and how these are embedded in historical and current contexts of globalisation and transnational mobility. This volume will be relevant to a broad audience of researchers across pilgrimage, gender, religious, and Islamic studies.

Religion is studied from a multitude of approaches and methodologies: history, anthropology, philosophy, sociology, psychology and the academic study of religion. This book differs from most other introductions and handbooks in that it draws on ongoing research to show 'how' researchers approach their topics. The aim is to provide orientation in this multidisciplinary context without attempting to homogenize the field. It is intended for undergraduate students studying religion as well as broader audiences interested in the study of religion. The introduction provides students with an overview of four key issues that are at stake in choosing an approach to studying religion in a multidisciplinary context: 1) the ways scholars conceptualize and delineate 'religion' as an object of study, 2) what theory is and what it is for, 3) at what level of analysis research may take place, and 4) the 'problem of belief' in the study of religion. In the subsequent chapters, each author discusses material from their own research to demonstrate the approach and methodology they apply and what kind of insights these yield. Collectively, the introduction and the individual chapters allow students to orient themselves with regard to the various methodologies and perspectives that may be deployed to formulate and answer their own research questions.

Religion is studied from a multitude of approaches and methodologies: history, anthropology, philosophy, sociology, psychology and the academic study of religion. This volume differs from most other introductions and handbooks in that it draws on ongoing research to show “how” researchers approach their topics. Its aim is to provide orientation in this multidisciplinary context without attempting to homogenize the field. The introduction provides students with an overview of four key issues that are at stake when choosing an approach to studying religion in a multidisciplinary context: • the ways scholars conceptualize and delineate “religion” as an object of study • what theory is and what it is for • at what level of analysis research may take place • the “problem of belief” the study of religion. In subsequent chapters, each author discusses material from their own research to demonstrate the approach and methodology they apply and what kind of insights these yield. Intended for undergraduate students of religion as well as broader audiences interested in the study of religion, this book will enable students to orient themselves with the various methodologies and perspectives that may be deployed to formulate and answer their own research questions.