Religion: The Modern Theories

This text is a comprehensive and approachable introduction to social scientific theories of religion as they developed in the 20th century. In the first section of the book the groundwork is laid for the theories developed in the 20th century, introducing the significant thinkers who have established some of the main avenues of discussion including Marx, Durkheim, Weber, Freud, Jung, and Otto. The second section introduces the main approaches of the social scientific disciplines that study religion: sociological, psychological, phenomenological, feminist and anthropological. The third section puts religion under the microscope, examining constituent elements such as ritual, symbolism and myth. Throughout the author shows that theories and definitions need to be questioned and problematized, and concludes with suggestions for how new definitions of religion might be framed to provide more culturally sensitive and open-ended ways of understanding. The introduction of key issues and thinkers in modern theories of religion should make this an ideal text for all religious studies students.