Anthropology of Religion

Comparisons of anthropological approach to religion with approaches to other disciplines (sociology, theology, religious studies etc). Basic concepts, research directions, schools and approaches. Empirical manifestations of religion in different contexts (social, political, spatial, psychological, ritual etc.). Theoretical separation between human religiosity, contents of religious worlds and social functions of religion. Studying religion as an anthropological category on the basis of ethnographic cases. Processes of construction of religious doctrines; symbolic systems of the sacred and their political implications. Ethnography of secular and religious social movements.

Classical anthropological discussions of religion. Myth and ritual. Manna. Taboo. Totem. Religious conversion. Biology of religion. Religious specialists. Sacred places and pilgrimage. Religious syncretism. Religion and social change. World religions vs. folk religiosity and religious practices. New age and new religious movements.

1. Angrosino, Michael V., 2004, The Culture of the Sacred: Exploring the Anthropology of Religion. Illinois: Waweland Press. [COBISS.SI-ID - 25082722]
2. Bauman, Zygmunt, 1998, Postmodern Religion? In: Heelas, Paul, David Martin in Paul Morris, Religion, Modernity and Postmodernity, Oxford, Malden: Blackwell. Pp. 55–78. [COBISS.SI-ID - 44775010]
3. Barker, Eileen, 1992, New Religious Movements: A practical Introduction. London: Hmso. COBISS.SI-ID - 42804578
4. Eller, Jack David, 2007, Introducing Anthropology of Religion: Culture to the Ultimate. New York, London: Routledge. (Studying Religion Anthropologically: Definitions and Theories. Pp. 1–28). [COBISS.SI-ID-163057923]
5. Firth, Raymond, 1996, Religion: A Humanist Interpretation. London, New York: Routledge. (An anthropological approach to the study of religion. Pp. 1–13) [COBISS.SI-ID - 8299874]
6. Marranchi, Gabriele, 2008, The Anthropology of Islam. Oxford, New York: Berg. (Introduction. Pp. 1–12) [COBISS.SI-ID - 9010947]
7. Morris, Brian, 2006, Religion and Anthropology: A Critical Introduction. Cambridge, New York etc.: Cambridge University Press. (Introduction. Pp. 1–13) https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xww&AN=30445…
8. Otto Ton, 2009, What Happened to Cargo Cults? Material Religion in Melanesia and the West. Social Anaysis 53/1: 82–102. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23182462
9. Šmitek, Zmago, 2016, Mandale: Tajni vrtovi razsvetljenja, Ljubljana: Beletrina. [COBISS.SI-ID - 285741568]
10. Obeyesekere, Gananath, 2023, Meduzini lasje: esej o osebnih simbolih in verskih doživetjih. Ljubljana: Založba /cf*. COBISS.SI-ID - 138054915