Study of Religion: An Introduction to Key Ideas and Methods » (New Edition)

Increasingly, recognition is given to the importance of methodology in the study of religion and methodological issues are generally taught to first-year students in order to equip them for systematic academic study of the topic. Unfortunately many of the theories that relate to methodology are explained in a highly complex way, which even advanced students find hard to understand. This indispensable new textbook for undergraduate religion students unravels the complexity of these issues by introducing the history and methodology pertaining to the study of religion (including ideas of key theorists) and by discussing the main problems in current scholarship in world religions.

About the Author:
George D. Chryssides is Senior Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Wolverhampton, UK

About the Author:
Ron Geaves is Professor of Comparative Religion at Liverpool Hope University, UK

Acknowledgements     vi
Introduction     vii
The Tools of the Trade   George Chryssides     1
Methodology in Religious Studies   George Chryssides   Ron Geaves     35
The Concept of a World Religion   George Chryssides     65
Key Figures in the Study of Religion   George Chryssides     110
Levels of Religion   Ron Geaves     143
Authenticity and Diversity   Ron Geaves     176
Phenomenology and its Critics   George Chryssides     210
Fieldwork in the Study of Religion   Ron Geaves     238
Does Size Matter?   George Chryssides     275
Religion and Gender   Ron Geaves     314
The Question of Truth   Ron Geaves     343
The Internet as a Resource in the Study of Religion   George Chryssides     382
Bibliography     404
Index     421