Saturday, September 12, 2015

Segal and Stuckrad (eds.), Vocabulary for the Study of Religion

FORTHCOMING MULTI-VOLUME WORK FROM BRILL:
Vocabulary for the Study of Religion (3 Vols.)

Edited by Robert A. Segal (University of Aberdeen) and Kocku von Stuckrad (University of Groningen)

The academic study of religion has been an interdisciplinary endeavor since its inception at the end of the nineteenth century. Much of the theoretical vocabulary that is needed to study religion has been imported from adjacent disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, historiography, theology, philology, literary studies, psychology, philosophy, cultural studies, and political sciences. It is the strength of the academic study of religion to bring these approaches into conversation with one another. The Vocabulary for the Study of Religion provides an excellent platform to sustain this conversation. Written by experts with a background in a variety of disciplines, over 400 entries collected in the Vocabulary offer a unique overview of critical terms in the study of religion(s), as well as the themes and issues that have to be addressed in future research. This is the first dictionary in English that covers such a broad spectrum of theoretical topics. The Vocabulary is an indispensable tool for all students of religion and it will influence the academic discussion for many years.