From Primitive to Indigenous: The Academic Study of Indigenous Religions

From Primitive to Indigenous: The Academic Study of Indigenous Religions

Overview

The academic study of Indigenous Religions developed historically from missiological and anthropological sources, but little analysis has been devoted to this classification within departments of religious studies. Evaluating this assumption in the light of case studies drawn from Zimbabwe, Alaska and shamanic traditions, and in view of current debates over 'primitivism', James Cox mounts a defence for the scholarly use of the category 'Indigenous Religions'.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781409477549
Publisher: Ashgate Publishing Ltd
Publication date: 05/28/2013
Series: Vitality of Indigenous Religions
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: NOOK Book
File size: 17 MB
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About the Author

James L. Cox is Professor of Religious Studies in the School of Divinity at the University of Edinburgh, UK.


Table of Contents

Contents: Introduction: problems, research context and overview; The academic study of indigenous religions: underlying assumptions and historical developments; Essentialism and the world religions paradigm; Defining 'indigenous' scientifically; Towards a socio-cultural, non-essentialist interpretation of religion; The Yupiit of Alaska: the 'real people'; The adaptive nature of indigenous religions in Zimbabwe; Indigenous religions and the debate over primitivism; Afterword: a practical conclusion; Bibliography; Index.


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