How might we transform a folk category -- in this case, religion -- into an analytical category suitable for cross-cultural research? In addressing that question, this book critically explores various approaches to the problem of conceptualizing religion for scholarly purposes, particularly with respect to certain disciplinary interests of anthropologists. The author argues that the most plausible analytical strategy can be based on the idea of family resemblances, especially as that idea has been used and developed in contemporary prototype theory. In the solution proposed, religion is...
How might we transform a folk category -- in this case, religion -- into an analytical category suitable for cross-cultural research? In addressing th...
"In this study, the author displays an astonishing knowledge of the field, an outstanding command of the literature and a most remarkable width of scope." - The Journal of Indo-European Studies
..". a timely and useful addition to current discussions on the topic." - American Anthropologist
"This is the best book on conceptualizing religion that I have come across for many years. All issues related to the definition of religion are dealt with extensively and in depth, without losing sight of the contribution of the author himself." - Bijdragen, tijdschrift voor filosofie en theologie...
"In this study, the author displays an astonishing knowledge of the field, an outstanding command of the literature and a most remarkable width of sco...
This volume consists of 12 essays published by the author between the years 1997-2007, a thirteenth paper read at a conference in 2006, and a long introduction prepared specifically for the collection. All of the essays deal with epistemological issues attendant on conceptualizing and defining religion, understanding what is likely to be involved in studying and discussing beliefs, and attempting to explain religion and religions by drawing on the contemporary cognitive and evolutionary sciences.
This volume consists of 12 essays published by the author between the years 1997-2007, a thirteenth paper read at a conference in 2006, and a long int...
In the summer of 1947 something mysterious crashed in the New Mexican desert near the town of Roswell. Whether it was an alien spacecraft manned by tiny humanlike beings or--the US government's official explanation--a scientific research balloon has long been a subject of passionate debate. Transcending the believer-versus-skeptic debate, anthropologists Benson Saler and Charles A. Ziegler contend that the Roswell story is best understood as a modern American myth. They show how the story--and its continual retelling--tap into modern fears about the power of technology, the duplicity of the...
In the summer of 1947 something mysterious crashed in the New Mexican desert near the town of Roswell. Whether it was an alien spacecraft manned by ti...
