The Politics of Myth examines the political views implicit in the mythological theories of three of the most widely read popularizers of myth in the twentieth century, C. G. Jung, Mircea Eliade, and Joseph Campbell. All three had intellectual roots in the anti-modern pessimism and romanticism that also helped give rise to European fascism, and all three have been accused of fascist and anti-Semitic sentiments. At the same time, they themselves tended toward individualistic views of the power of myth, believing that the world of ancient myth contained resources that could be of immense help to...

The International Eliade brings together contributors from beyond the Anglo-American milieu to consider the work of Mircea Eliade. Significant new insights and information concerning Eliade, his past, and potential applications of his thought are provided by scholars from Romania, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Norway, France, Argentina, India, Korea, Japan, and Quebec, Canada. Intended as a balanced consideration of Eliade's significance, the collection recognizes the restrictions and shortcomings of his work, and gives the English-language reader access to research in Eliade studies being done in...

The International Eliade brings together contributors from beyond the Anglo-American milieu to consider the work of Mircea Eliade. Significant new insights and information concerning Eliade, his past, and potential applications of his thought are provided by scholars from Romania, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Norway, France, Argentina, India, Korea, Japan, and Quebec, Canada. Intended as a balanced consideration of Eliade's significance, the collection recognizes the restrictions and shortcomings of his work, and gives the English-language reader access to research in Eliade studies being done in...

Critics Not Caretakers argues that the study of religion must be rethought as an ordinary aspect of social, historical existence, a stance that makes the scholar of religion a critic of cultural practices rather than a caretaker of religious tradition or a font of timeless wisdom. From a general introduction written for a wide audience and a theoretical essay that outlines the basis of an alternative, socio-rhetorical approach to studying religion, the book moves on to a series of dispatches from the theory wars, each of which uses the work of such writers as Karen Armstrong, Walter Burkert,...