Religious studies--also known as comparative religion or history of religions--emerged as a field of study in colleges and universities on both sides of the Atlantic during the late nineteenth century. In Europe, as previous historians have demonstrated, the discipline grew from long-established traditions of university-based philological scholarship. But in the United States, James Turner argues, religious studies developed outside the academy.
Until about 1820, Turner contends, even learned Americans showed little interest in non-European religions--a subject that had fascinated...
Religious studies--also known as comparative religion or history of religions--emerged as a field of study in colleges and universities on both sid...
