Contemporary Views on Comparative Religion

Comparative Religion is deeply rooted in historical-philological studies, but since the inception of the discipline in the late nineteenth century, a continual development has taken place. Since that time, the discipline has moved into many different areas of the social, humanistic, psychological and biological sciences, and debates on theory and method are as intense as ever. As scholars of religion get to grips with some aspects of the phenomenon in question, new problems arise, and new challenges must be met. At the same time, however, the virtues of the past should not be forgotten, and a double orientation, back and forth, becomes necessary. Rather than pursuing a systematic discussion of how to go about such problems, this volume celebrates the diversity and multi-methodological approaches in comparative religion by including empirical, as well as theoretical, approaches. The authors, among whom are many of the world’s leadings scholars, have been asked to contribute essays on the current state of comparative religion, and thanks to their efforts the reader is offered a pathway to exciting, but quite diverse, examples of the discipline, from the well-known to the most recent academic frontiers.

Comparative Religion is deeply rooted in historical-philological studies, but since the inception of the discipline in the late nineteenth century, a continual development has taken place. Since that time, the discipline has moved into many different areas of the social, humanistic, psychological and biological sciences, and debates on theory and method are as intense as ever. As scholars of religion get to grips with some aspects of the phenomenon in question, new problems arise, and new challenges must be met. At the same time, however, the virtues of the past should not be forgotten, and a double orientation, back and forth, becomes necessary. Rather than pursuing a systematic discussion of how to go about such problems, this volume celebrates the diversity and multi-methodological approaches in comparative religion by including empirical, as well as theoretical, approaches. The authors, among whom are many of the world’s leadings scholars, have been asked to contribute essays on the current state of comparative religion, and thanks to their efforts the reader is offered a pathway to exciting, but quite diverse, examples of the discipline, from the well-known to the most recent academic frontiers.

1. INTRODUCTION Peter Antes, Armin W. Geertz, Mikael Rothstein 2. THE COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RELIGION Ivan Strenski: What Kind of Magic Dwells in Comparison? Morny Joy: Challenges to Comparative Religion Luther H. Martin: Comparison and the History of Religions Jgen Podemann Sensen: The Historical and Comparative Study of Religions Anders Klostergaard Petersen and Jesper Sensen: Taking Comparativism Seriously Giulia Sfameni Gasparro: A Method without Explanatory Theory Laura Feldt: Myth, Space, and the History of Religions 3. CONCEPTIONS OF RELIGION AND 'THE RELIGIOUS' Jeppe Sinding Jensen: A Theoretical Object for the History of Religions Olav Hammer: Toward a Secular Theory of Religious Experience Armin W. Geertz: Conceptions of Religion in the Cognitive Science of Religion Peter Antes: Phenomenology of Religion Revisited Russell T. McCutcheon: Fanfare for the Common E.g. Veikko Antonnen: Theories as Borders 4. COMPARATIVE RELIGION AND THE UNIVERSITY Donald Wiebe: Claims for a Plurality of Knowledges in the Comparative Study of Religions Satoko Fujiwara: Why the Concept of 'World Religion' has Survived in Japan Jens-Andre Herbener: Secular and Religious Studies of Religion within Danish Universities Gustavo Benavides: O felix culpa! On Teaching Religion around Theologians Silas Guerriero: The Science of Religion in Brazil . COMPARATIVE RELIGION, EDUCATION AND SCHOOLING Matti Kamppinen: Normative Rationality and the Future Prospects of Religion Education Wanda Alberts: 'RS-based RE' Brian Bocking: Tracing the 'Non-Denominational' Valentine Zuber: Teaching the Secular Moral Code in French State Schools 6. RELIGION, SOCIETY, STATE, LAW AND RIGHTS Abrahim H. Khan: Privileging Communication at the Intersect of Religion and Law with reference to Comparative Studies in Religion Mikael Aktor: Whose Rights? Ritual Infant Male Circumcision as a Human Rights Issue Maria del Mar Marcos Sanchez: Current Perspectives on Religious Toleration in the Roman World Christoph Bochinger: Pluralism and Plurality in the Study of Religions Abdulkader Tayob: Utopia and Heterotopia in Post-Apartheid South African Muslim Discourse 7. EMPIRICAL STUDIES AND RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES Einar Thomassen: What is a God? Some Comparative Reflections Ingvild S. Gilhus: What Became of Superhuman Beings and Why does the Scientific Study of Religion Still Need Them? Mikael Rothstein: The Alimentary Construction of Social and Supernatural Identities Knut A. Jacobsen: Did Hindu Pilgrimage Develop from the Vedic Tradition? Rosalind Hackett: Sounds Religious Marianna Shakhnovich: Animism and Atomism in Cognitive Perspective Jan Hjarpe: Beyond Comparative Religion: Theology of Religions and Ethical Mysticism Giovanni Casadio: Raffaele Pettazzoni and Karoly Marot, Companions-in-Arms in the Field of the History of Religions 8. APPENDIX: TIM JENSEN'S BIOGRAPHY AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Edited by Peter Antes
• Edited by Armin Geertz
• Edited by Mikael Rothstein

"...The breadth of the material in the volume is truly noteworthy, and the editors are correct that there is no single theme or mission of the essays other than to represent the historical and contemporary span of the discipline." --David Eller, Anthroplogy Review Database, May 8, 2016
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