"Modern Paganism in World Cultures" collects the work of specialists in religion, folklore, and related fields to provide a comprehensive treatment of the movement to reestablish pre-Christian religions. Detailed accounts of the belief systems and rituals of each religion, along with analysis of the cultural, social, and political factors fueling the return to ancestral religious practice, make this a rich, singular resource.

Scandinavian Asatru, Latvian Dievturi, American Wicca--long-dormant religions are taking on new life as people seek connection with their heritage and look for...

Collecting the work of leading authorities on Buddhism in different societies around the world, this book details the state of the religion in Asian countries where it is a major cultural influence and in North America. The religion has changed to meet the challenges of modernity; its practitioners have incorporated those innovations and this work examines those changes in-depth.

A comprehensive overview of historical Buddhist practice grounds the reader for the entire nine chapters, each of which is organized by geographical area and follows the path Buddhism took as it spread across...

Contemporary treatments of Islam focus on the Middle East; they treat the beliefs and people of that region as representing all of Islam. At most they emphasize the differences between Muslim groups--Sunni vs. Shia, for instance--while overlooking the even greater differences that result from region-specific cultural and political pressures.

"Islam in World Cultures" gathers the work of ten eminent scholars, each of whom has expertise in the Muslim culture of a particular country or geographical area. Individual chapters explore contemporary developments in the Islamic experience in...