Understanding Facets in Culture and Religion


Book Description




Intercultural Hermeneutics - Understanding Culture and Religion


Book Description

New hermeneutical challenges abound within the process of globalisation especially as they pertain to culture and religion. Consequently, a new form of hermeneutics approached from an intercultural perspective is needed. This requires, if not a new set of hermeneutical tools then, at least, a serious, profound and critical analysis and constructive adaptation of the already available set of hermeneutical tools. Intercultural hermeneutics in the understanding of religion and culture and among cultures and religions is being proposed here as this new form of art or science of understanding. Chibueze C. Udeani is of Igbo origin and currently professor of missiology and dialogue of religions at Julius Maximilian's university Würzburg, Germany.




Top-Down Confusion


Book Description

In today’s education climate, parents, teachers and school leaders are often confused about the direction of education and what and how children are learning. For anyone interested in the minefields that young people navigate in schools today, this book exposes the ills, questions the status quo, engages the reader in a common-sense way, and provides solutions to the confusion created in schools. The culmination of over exposure of young children to Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA) topics, the banning of religion in schools, and the runaway train of illegal immigration creates confusion that won’t soon pass. In addition, the trend for politicians to appoint superintendents of schools, commissioners of education (at state and federal levels), and other education leaders who do not have experience or formal training in education is confusing and disturbing. Would anyone visit a doctor who was not experienced in medicine? It’s not likely. There are gray areas in schools that are becoming standard practice. This top—down confusion leads everyone to ask the question: Is Gray the New Pink in Education?




A Universal Faith? Peoples, Cultures, Religions, and the Christ


Book Description

This volume of essays is dedicated to Frank De Graeve, s.j., Professor Emeritus of Missiology and the Comparative Study of Religions at the K.U. Leuven. Throughout a long teaching career in the United States and Belgium, his two main concerns have been the inculturation of Christianity in the Various continents and particular contexts, and the theological reflection on religious pluralism. The contributions to this collection are therefore centered around these two topics. Valeer Neckebrouck and Catherine Cornille are Frank De Graeve's successors in the fields of Missiology and the Comparative Study of Religions, respectively. Valeer Neckebrouck is the author of "La Tierce Eglise devant le probleme de la culture" among numerous other works, and Catherine Cornille's "The Guru in Indian Catholicism" has already appeared in this series.




Cultural Anthropology


Book Description

Cultural Anthropology: Global forces, local lives is an accessible ethnographically rich cultural anthropology textbook which gives a coherent and refreshingly new vision of the discipline and its subject matter--human diversity. The fifteen chapters and three extended case studies present all of the necessary areas of cultural anthropology, organizing them in conceptually and thematically meaningful and original ways. A full one-third of its content is dedicated to important global and historical cultural phenomena such as colonialism, nationalism, ethnicity and ethnic conflict, economic development, environmental issues, cultural revival, fundamentalism, and popular culture. The more conventional topics of anthropology (language, economics, kinship, politics, religion, race) are integrated into this broader discussion to reflect the changing content of contemporary courses. This well written and well organised text has been trialled both in the classroom and online. The author has extensive teaching experience and is especially good at presenting material clearly matching his exposition to the pace of students' understanding. Specially designed in colour to be useful to today's students, Cultural Anthropology: Global forces, local lives: supports study with chapter case studies on subjects as diverse as "Doing Anthropology at Microsoft" to "Banning Religious Symbols in France" explains difficult key terms with marginal glosses and links related topics with marginal cross-references assists revision with boxed chapter summaries, an extensive bibliography and index illustrates concepts and commentary with a vivid range of photographs drawn from the most contemporary anthropological sources provides a support website which includes study guides, powerpoint presentations, chapter supplements, multiple-choice, essay, and assignment questions, a model course mapped to the textbook, a flashcard glossary of terms, links to useful maps




The Insider/Outsider Problem in the Study of Religion


Book Description

Thirty classic and contemporary readings - from such writers as Kant, Hume, Schleiermacher, and Otto, to Ninian Smart, Mircea Eliade, Karen McCarthy-Brown, and Wendy Doniger.




The Culture of Accountability


Book Description

This important book explores the cultural conditions that favour political accountability. It examines the channels through which accountability can be secured and the role that accountability plays in ensuring good governance. In addition to problematizing the notion of accountability, the book suggests that it is the product of three different—albeit, related—processes: taking account of voters’ preferences, keeping account of voters’ preferences, and giving account of one’s performance in office. It further explores the relationship between accountability and political culture by analyzing the relationship between accountability and religion, religious denomination, familism, civicness, secularism and postmaterialism, revealing that the level of accountability is influenced by the diffusion of post-material values and by the level of civicness in a given country. This book will be of key interest to scholars, students, and practitioners in governance, the political economy of institutions and development, democracy, and more broadly to political science, international relations, political theory, comparative politics, sociology, and cultural studies.




Understanding Religion


Book Description

A cutting-edge introduction to contemporary religious studies theory, connecting theory to data This innovative coursebook introduces students to interdisciplinary theoretical tools for understanding contemporary religiously diverse societies—both Western and non-Western. Using a case-study model, the text considers: A wide and diverse array of contemporary issues, questions, and critical approaches to the study of religion relevant to students and scholars A variety of theoretical approaches, including decolonial, feminist, hermeneutical, poststructuralist, and phenomenological analyses Current debates on whether the term "religion" is meaningful Many key issues about the study of religion, including the insider-outsider debate, material religion, and lived religion Plural and religiously diverse societies, including the theological ideas of traditions and the political and social questions that arise for those living alongside adherents of other religions Understanding Religion is designed to provide a strong foundation for instructors to explore the ideas presented in each chapter in multiple ways, engage students in meaningful activities in the classroom, and integrate additional material into their lectures. Students will gain the tools to apply specific methods from a variety of disciplines to analyze the social, political, spiritual, and cultural aspects of religions. Its unique pedagogical design means it can be used from undergraduate- to postgraduate-level courses.




The Routledge Handbook of Christianity and Culture


Book Description

The centrality and importance of the intersection of Christianity and culture when it comes to English-speaking countries and particularly American culture, history, and politics is beyond doubt. The Routledge Handbook of Christianity and Culture is an outstanding reference source to the key topics, problems, and debates in this exciting subject. Comprising over 35 chapters by a team of international contributors, the handbook is divided into five parts: • Practicing Christianity • Christianity and the Word • Social and Political Aspects of Christianity and Culture • Christianity and Culture in a Global Context • Christianity and the Arts Within these parts, central issues, debates, and problems are examined including liturgy, material Christianity, education, missions, religion and science, hermeneutics, Bible translations, Christian wars, human rights, law, social action, the secular, ecumenicalism, inter-religious relations, visual arts, literature, music, theatre, and film. The Routledge Handbook of Christianity and Culture is essential reading for students and researchers of religious studies and Christian studies. The handbook will also be very useful for those in related fields, such as cultural studies, area studies, visual studies, literature, and material religion.




21st Century Anthropology: A Reference Handbook


Book Description

Highlighting the most important topics, issues, questions and debates, these two volumes offer full coverage of major subthemes and subfields within the discipline of anthropology.




Recent Books