Explorations in Anthropology and Theology

Some of the best scholars in the field of the anthropology of indigenous systems of theology such as Mary Douglas, Morton Klass, and Edith Turner are represented here. Explorations in Anthropology and Theology treats indigenous systems of religious thought, including 'popular' American secular rituals, with the respect and attention usually reserved for only the 'higher religions, ' covering topics such as feminist spirituality, traditional religions and the impact of modernization, alternative approaches to the sacred, implications for fieldwork, and the relationship and relevance of theology and anthropology to one another. The result is a stimulating exploration of a new field of research that is still being shaped and defined, the anthropology of theology. Papers represent most of the major ethnographic areas of the world, including Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, the United States and the Artic. Recommended for various courses in theology, anthropology of religion, symbolic anthropology, and fieldwork.