Reader in Comparative Religion: An Anthropological Approach

by William Armand Lessa (editor), Evon Zartman Vogt (editor)

Offering students an overview of the anthropological findings in religion that have amassed in the last 100 years, this sourcebook presents articles written by anthropologists, sociologists, historians & others whose works have significantly influenced anthropological thinking.
Foreword
Acknowledgments
General Introduction
The origin & development of religion
The function of religion in human society
Myth & ritual
Symbolism
Mana & taboo
Totemism
Magic, witchcraft & divination
The magical treatment of illness
Death, ghosts & ancestor worship
Shamans & priests
Dynamics in religion
New methods of analysis
Biographies of Authors
Selected Monographs on Non-Western Religious Systems
General Bibliography
Index of Authors & Titles

Genres: Anthropology, Religion, Nonfiction, Spirituality

496 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

Reviews

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

From an anthropological perspective I think this is a fine addition to the religious literature. From a generic readers perspective this is a difficult and confusing read that leaves you with more questions than answers(which may be the point). I throughly enjoyed the older pieces that show the origins of modern thoughts and prejudices that still persist. Overall if your a student of religion and want to take a non-philosophical look, than this is a great piece to gain a broad perspective of many religious traditions and they ways in which anthropologists study it.

[Erik Graff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was assigned for a course on comparative religions taught at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. A sourcebook covering about a century of material in the field of the cultural anthropology of religion, I found virtually everything in it interesting, some of it eye-opening, some of it even funny. An superb selection!

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains a good collection of texts on the anthropology of religion.

[pjr8888]

my copy is the Hardbound, 2nd edition copyright 1965