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Textbook Website

Thinking about Religion

Welcome to the website to accompany the Thinking about Religion textbook and reader, authored and edited by Ivan Strenski.

Downloadable resources are available below, including chapter-by-chapter study questions.

While Ivan Strenskis new book considers many of the key modern theorists of religion covered in other overviews of the modern study of religion, his is far more than a textbook& This book, written as lucidly as any mere textbook, wonderfully presents theories as part of intellectual history.Robert A. Segal, Lancaster University

About Thinking about Religion

A history-based, introductory textbook to theories and methods in the study of religion
Introduces the main methods, theories and theorists in the field
Engages with leading figures from the history of anthropology, sociology, psychology, philosophy and theology who have influenced the study of religion
Reveals how the study of religion evolved in response to great cultural conflicts and major historical events
Also considers the influence of inner experience, tacking issues such as human survival and wish-fulfilment.
Click here for further information about this textbook.

About Thinking about Religion: A Reader

Creates a useful mix of classic and contemporary responses to issues in the study of religion, ideal for those coming to the subject for the first time.
Pairs pivotal theorists and theories of religion alongside cutting-edge criticism from a team of leading contemporary scholars.
Traces the major historical and methodological development of the study of religion in the modern West, enabling students to gain a balanced understanding of the diverse methods, theories, and theorists involved.
Primary theorists featured include Cherbury, Durkheim, Eliade, Frazer, Freud, Hume, Brede Kristensen, Malinowski, Max Müller, Ninian Smart, Robertson Smith, Spinoza, Tylor, and Weber.
Contemporary contributors include Winston Davis, Sidney Hook, Robert Alun Jones, Karl Menninger, Sam Preus, Philip Rieff, Robert Segal, Georges Sorel, George Stocking, and William Dwight Whitney.

Click here for full details about this Reader, including a detailed contents and contributor list.

The books are appropriately structured to encourage joint or independent use.

RESOURCES

The following resources are available to support your course use of this book:

Chapter-by-chapter study questions (textbook) - word document