In this handy volume, two professors of religious studies provide the student of religious studies - whether the motivated undergraduate, graduate student, or professor - with a brief review of theorists' work from the perspective of religious studies. For example, in 5-10 pages, the reader will get a review of Emmanuel Levinas's work as it offers insights for scholars in religious studies, followed by a selected bibliography. In short, this is a guide for students of religious studies that will take major theoretical writers in the humanities and social sciences and explain their relevance to the study of religion.

Routledge proudly announces "theory4," a new series that presents concise overviews of the major theorists, written with a particular discipline in mind. Theory is now part of every discipline's set of tools; these volumes are tailored to the needs of students and scholars in a given field. Focusing on the great theoretical figures since the end of the nineteenth century, each volume will contain twenty to thirty entries. Each entry will give the reader a brief description of that thinker's ideas and crucial innovations in light of a specific discipline, along with a highly selected list of recommended primary and secondary readings.
The inaugural volume, "Theory for Religious Studies, "will be followed by volumes in history, art, film, music, and other disciplines.
"Theory for Religious Studies" presents the key theoretical influences on religious studies since the 1960s - an essential guide to the figures and ideas animating religious studies today. Drawing on their complementary knowledge of Eastern and Western religious traditions, William Deal and Timothy Beal begin with four foundational figures - Marx, Nietzsche, Saussure, and Freud - and go on to provide guided introductions to Althusser, Bakhtin, Barthes, Bataille, Baudrillard, Benjamin, Bourdieu, Butler, Cixous, Deleuze and Guattari, Derrida, Foucault, Gadamer, Irigaray, Kristeva, Lacan, Lefebvre, Levinas, Lyotard, Merleau-Ponty, Said, Spivak, White, Williams, and Zizek. Brisk, thoughtful, and engaging, this will be an essential first volume for anyone at work in religious studies today.

andbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan spans the beginning of the Kamakura period in 1185 through the end of the Edo (Tokugawa) period in 1868. The medieval and early modern eras in Japan were largely shaped by the rise of the warrior class. After 1603, with the founding of the Tokugawa shogunate, Japanese culture changed dramatically, but as cities grew and merchants thrived, the warrior class became less dominant. By the end of the Edo period, Japan's insular feudal society and military government became irrelevant in an increasingly consumer-oriented economy and thriving urban culture.
The contribution of military rulers, celebrated warriors, and cultural innovators to medieval and early modern Japanese culture are well documented. However, life at the village level also had a strong impact on the culture. Covering both levels of society, this comprehensive guide provides insightful information on well-known people and peasants, artisans, shopkeepers, and others outside the periphery of power. Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan introduces the reader to the significant people and events-cultural, social, political, and historical-and the everyday experiences and elements of material culture during this time.
Organized thematically, the text covers: History; Land, Environment, and Population; Government; Society and Economy; Warriors and Warfare; Religion; Philosophy, Education, and Science; Language and Literature; Performing Arts; Art and Architecture; Travel and Communication; Daily Life. Each chapter includes an extensive bibliography, and photographs and maps complement the text. Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan provides all the essential information for anyone interested in Japanese history, society, or culture.