Books in the Critical Categories in the Study of Religion series

Illustrates the range of theoretical and practical issues involved in defining Judaism for the purposes of comparative and historical studies. This book is divided into four overlapping sections that deal, in various ways, with the configuration of 'Judaism' and how this configuration relates to other historical and/or disciplinary contexts.

An anthology of writings on the many phenomena which come under the heading of 'syncretism.'

Brings together readings on the controversial issue of myth from many different angles: philosophical, psychological, sociological, semi-logical and cognitivist, all with introduction by the editor.

Ever since a group of people came into existence who called themselves Muslims, questions of what it meant to be a member of that group and what the requirements for membership were, have proven to be divisive for the community itself. This book aims to present source material and reflections on how the word "Islam" is to be used and understood.

Offers the tools to become familiar with crucial theoretical debates in Religious Studies and related fields in the humanities and social sciences, and with models of contemporary writing that successfully approach the study of religion in savvy ways.

Defining Magic is the first volume to assemble key texts that aim at determining the nature of magic, establish its boundaries and key features, and explain its working.The reader brings together seminal writings from antiquity to today.

This Reader presents writings from both those who assume the existence and possible universality of religious experience and those who question the very rhetoric of "experience".

The Reader brings together a comprehensive selection of key essays on the theories and meta-theories employed by cognitive scientists of religion.

Explores the multiple ways in which Buddhisms have been defined and constructed by Buddhists and scholars. This book includes essays that consider a range of inquiries and concerns, and methods and approaches that contribute to understanding and learning from constructions of Buddhisms, the challenges and dilemmas, and more.