Eliade's Theory of Religion and the African Experience

ISBN-13: 9783847314271 / Angielski / Miękka / 2011 / 104 str.

Andre C Allies

Opis

Mircea Eliade has made meaningful contributions to the academic debate in the field of religion and comparative religious studies. As much as he had scholastic opinion that would find synthesis with, support and defend his thought patterns and argument, so too he had, of almost equal proportions, those who would criticize his scholarship, accusing it of being, amongst others, biased and "revealing uncritical unverifiable generalizations". The scope of this study is to enter that debate, with the intention to specifically focus on and unpack some of the most important concepts that underlie Eliades thinking and deliberations, rather than focusing on the holistic theory of religion as purported by him. These concepts will be measured against the African Religious experience, to see if it finds resonance or stands in conflict with it. In the process, this study attempts to reveal some aspects of Eliades theory of religion that could be saved to fit an African religious perspective. It also attempts to identify some aspects or conceptions of Eliades theory that are lacking if read through an African lens.

O autorze

Allies, André CFr. André C. Allies is a Parish Priest in the Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd, in Kensington, Cape Town, South Africa. The Parish of Kensington is situated in the Diocese of Saldanha Bay, which forms part of the world-wide Anglican Communion. Andre is married with two children.