The Study of Religion An Introduction to Key Ideas and Methods

As an introduction to theory and method in the study of religions, Chryssides and Geaves have broken new ground. I strongly commend it as a primary source to be included within programmes in the academic study of religions. James L Cox, Professor of Religious Studies, University of Edinburgh, UK, of the first edition The authors have provided an outstanding companion to the study of religion. While this is an accessible volume that will be welcomed by students and their teachers, it is also a remarkably comprehensive work, rooted in careful scholarship and a prodigious theoretical and empirical knowledge of the field. Those of us teaching religious studies will be indebted to the authors for many years to come. Christopher Partridge, Professor of Religious Studies, Lancaster University, UK, of the first edition This updated edition of The Study of Religion is excellent. The book offers a full, detailed, scrupulously balanced presentation and assessment - not of religions themselves but of approaches to the study of religion. The approaches considered range from classical to recent. The writing is exceptionally clear and precise. The many blocked-off examples from actual religions bring the theorizing down to earth. Unlike so many other books that tout the same claim, this book is genuinely written for students who come knowing little about religion. A terrific volume. Robert A. Segal, Sixth Century Chair in Religious Studies, University of Aberdeen, UK and editor of The Blackwell Companion to the Study of Religion