Religion: The Modern Theories

About this book

Over the course of the twentieth century thinkers from Marx and Weber to Freud Jung and Campbell have transformed the way we understand the religious experience. Within the field of religious studies various intellectual approachesfrom feminism to phenomenologyhave further shaped the ways in which scholars examine rituals symbols and belief systems. In Religion: The Modern Theories Seth D. Kunin provides an accessible yet comprehensive introduction to the social-scientific theories of religion that developed during the twentieth century explaining the most significant theories of religion and their precursors. Kunin begins with a detailed discussion of the centurys major theorists of religion their ideas and their influence among them Marx Durkheim Weber Freud Jung and Otto. He next explores how various disciplinessociology psychology phenomenology gender studies and anthropologyhave affected the study of religion. Kunin then analyzes the constituent elements of religion itself: ritual symbolism and myth. Throughout the author emphasizes the need to question and reassess accepted theories and definitions of religion and he concludes with suggestions for framing new definitions of religion that provide more culturally sensitive and open-ended ways of understanding.