Writing History, Constructing Religion

James G Crossley, Dr Christian Karner

Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., May 28, 2013 - Religion - 242 pages

Writing History, Constructing Religion presents a much-needed interdisciplinary exploration of the significance of debates among historians, scholars of religion and cultural theorists over the 'nature' of history to the study of religion. The distinguished authors discuss issues related to definitions of history, postmodernism, critical theory, and the impact on the study and analysis of religious traditions; exploring the application of writing 'history from below', discussions of 'truth' and 'objectivity' as opposed to power and ideology, crises of representation, and the place of theory in the 'historicized' study of religion(s).

Addressing conceptual debates in a wide range of historical and empirical contexts, the authors critically engage with issues including religious nationalism, Nazism, Islam and the West, secularism, religion in post-Communist Russia, ethnicity and post modernity. This book constitutes a significant step towards the self-reflexive and interdisciplinary study of religions in history.

About the author

Dr James G. Crossley is from Madingley Hall and Centre for Jewish-Christian Relations at the University of Cambridge, UK. Dr Christian Karner is from the School of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Nottingham, UK.

Alan Aldridge, Maurice Casey, Hugh Goddard, Philip Goodchild, Seth Kunin, Kathryn Tomlinson, Maria Varsam.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Writing History, Constructing Religion
• Editors: James G Crossley, Dr Christian Karner
• Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2013
• ISBN: 1409477126, 9781409477129
• Length: 242 pages
• Subjects: Religion / General