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Anthropologyofreligion
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Anthropologyofreligionisthestudyofreligioninrelationtoothersocialinstitutions,andthecomparison
ofreligiousbeliefsandpracticesacrosscultures.[1]

Contents
1History
2Definitionofreligion
3Specificreligiouspracticesandbeliefs
4Seealso
5Notes
6References
7Externallinks

History
Intheearly11thcentury,AbRayhnBrn(9731048),wrotedetailedcomparativestudiesonthe
anthropologyofreligionsandculturesacrosstheMiddleEast,MediterraneanandtheIndian
subcontinent.[2]Hediscussedthepeoples,customs,andreligionsoftheIndiansubcontinent.
Anthropologycirca1940assumedthatreligionisincompletecontinuitywithmagicalthinking,[3]thatitis
aculturalproduct,.[4]Thecompletecontinuitybetweenmagicandreligionhasbeenapostulateofmodern
anthropologyatleastsinceearly1930s.[3][5]Theperspectiveofmodernanthropologytowardsreligionis
theprojectionidea,amethodologicalapproachwhichassumesthateveryreligioniscreatedbythehuman
communitythatworshipsit,that"creativeactivityascribedtoGodisprojectedfromman."[6][7][8]In1841,
LudwigFeuerbach,wasthefirsttoemploythisconceptasthebasisforasystematiccritiqueof
religion.[9][10][11][12]AprominentprecursorintheformulationofthisprojectionprinciplewasGiambattista
Vico,[9][13]andanearlyformulationofitisfoundinancientGreekwriterXenophanes,whichobservedthat
"thegodsofEthiopianswereinevitablyblackwithflatnoseswhilethoseoftheThracianswereblondwith
blueeyes."[9]
In1912mileDurkheim,buildingonFeuerbach,consideredreligion"aprojectionofthesocialvaluesof
society,""ameansofmakingsymbolicstatementsaboutsociety,""asymboliclanguagethatmakes
statementsaboutthesocialorder"[14][15]inshort,"religionissocietyworshipingitself".[12][16]
Inthe19thcentury,culturalanthropologywasdominatedbyaninterestinculturalevolutionmost
anthropologistsassumedthattherewasasimpledistinctionbetweenprimitiveandmodernreligionand
triedtoprovideaccountsofhowtheformerevolvedintothelatter.Inthe20thcenturymostanthropologists
rejectedthisapproach.Todaytheanthropologyofreligionreflectstheinfluenceof,oranengagementwith,
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suchtheoristsasKarlMarx,SigmundFreud,mileDurkheim,andMaxWeber.Theyareespecially
concernedwithhowreligiousbeliefsandpracticesmayreflectpoliticaloreconomicforcesorthesocial
functionsofreligiousbeliefsandpractices.

Definitionofreligion
Onemajorproblemintheanthropologyofreligionisthedefinitionofreligionitself.Atonetime
anthropologistsbelievedthatcertainreligiouspracticesandbeliefsweremoreorlessuniversaltoall
culturesatsomepointintheirdevelopment,suchasabeliefinspiritsorghosts,theuseofmagicasameans
ofcontrollingthesupernatural,theuseofdivinationasameansofdiscoveringoccultknowledge,andthe
performanceofritualssuchasprayerandsacrificeasameansofinfluencingtheoutcomeofvariousevents
throughasupernaturalagency,sometimestakingtheformofshamanismorancestorworship.Accordingto
Geertz,religionis"(1)asystemofsymbolswhichactsto(2)establishpowerful,pervasive,andlonglasting
moodsandmotivationsinmenby(3)formulatingconceptionsofageneralorderofexistenceand(4)
clothingtheseconceptionswithsuchanauraoffactualitythat(5)themoodsandmotivationsseemuniquely
realistic"(Geertz1966).[17]Today,religiousAnthropologistsdebate,andreject,thecrossculturalvalidity
ofthesecategories(oftenviewingthemasexamplesofEuropeanprimitivism).Anthropologistshave
consideredvariouscriteriafordefiningreligionsuchasabeliefinthesupernaturalortherelianceon
ritualbutfewclaimthatthesecriteriaareuniversallyvalid.
AnthonyF.C.Wallaceproposesfourcategoriesofreligion,eachsubsequentcategorysubsumingthe
previous.Theseare,however,syntheticcategoriesanddonotnecessarilyencompassallreligions.[18]
1. Individualistic:mostbasicsimplest.Example:visionquest.
2. Shamanistic:parttimereligiouspractitioner,usesreligiontoheal,todivine,usuallyonthebehalfof
aclient.TheTillamookhavefourcategoriesofshaman.Examplesofshamans:spiritualists,faith
healers,palmreaders.Religiousauthorityacquiredthroughone'sownmeans.
3. Communal:elaboratesetofbeliefsandpracticesgroupofpeoplearrangedinclansbylineage,age
group,orsomereligioussocietiespeopletakeonrolesbasedonknowledge,andancestralworship.
4. Ecclesiastical:dominantinagriculturalsocietiesandstatesarecentrallyorganizedandhierarchical
instructure,parallelingtheorganizationofstates.Typicallydeprecatescompetingindividualisticand
shamanisticcults.

Specificreligiouspracticesandbeliefs
Apotheosis
Apotropaicmagic
Amulet
Animism
Cult(religiouspractice)
Deity
Demon
Divination
Esotericism
Exorcism
Evil
Fertilityrite
Fetishism
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Genius(mythology)
God
Ghost
GrecoRomanmysteries
Heresy
Icon
Immortality
Intercession
Kachina
Magicandreligion
Mana
Mask
Miracle
Medicine
Modernpaganism
Monotheism
Mothergoddess
Mythology
Necromancy
NewAge
Occult
Omen
Polytheism
Prayer
Principleofcontagion
Prophecy
Reincarnation
Religiousecstasy
Ritual
Sacredfoodasoffering
Sacrifice
Shamanism
Spell(paranormal)
Supernatural
Supplication
Sympatheticmagic
Theism
Totemism
Venerationofthedead
Westernesotericism

Seealso
AnthropologicalPerspectivesonReligion(journal)
Archaeologyofreligionandritual
Cognitivescienceofreligion
Culturalanthropology
Evolutionaryoriginofreligions
Magicandreligion
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Religioussymbolism
Sacredprofanedichotomy
Sociologyofreligion
Symbolicanthropology

Notes
1. http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/497215/classificationofreligions
2. J.T.Walbridge(1998)."ExplainingAwaytheGreekGodsinIslam",JournaloftheHistoryofIdeas59(3):
389403
3. Cassirer,Ernst(1944)AnEssayOnMan(http://books.google.com/books?id=pe9fWSviLsC&pg=PA102),pt.II,
ch.7MythandReligion,pp.1223.Quotation:
Itseemstobeoneofthepostulatesofmodernanthropologythatthereiscompletecontinuity
betweenmagicandreligion.[note35:See,forinstance,RRMarett,Faith,Hope,andCharity
inPrimitiveReligion,theGiffordLectures(Macmillan,1932),LectureII,pp.21ff.]...We
havenoempiricalevidenceatallthatthereeverwasanageofmagicthathasbeenfollowed
andsupersededbyanageofreligion.
4. Manickam,T.M.(1977)DharmaaccordingtoManuandMoses(http://books.google.com/books?
id=GC6fAAAAMAAJ)p.6Quotation:
Religiousanthropologysuggeststhateveryreligionisaproductoftheculturalevolution,
moreorlesscoherent,ofoneraceorpeopleandthisculturalproductisfurtherenrichedbyits
interactionandcrossfertilizationwithotherpeoplesandtheircultures,inwhosevicinitythe
formeroriginatedandevolved.
5. RobertRanulphMarett(1932)Faith,HopeandCharityinPrimitiveReligion
(http://www.giffordlectures.org/Browse.asp?PubID=TPFHCR&Volume=0&Issue=0&TOC=True),inGifford
Lectures.LectureIIHope(http://www.giffordlectures.org/Browse.asp?
PubID=TPFHCR&Volume=0&Issue=0&ArticleID=3).Quotation:
Inconclusion,awordmustbesaidonarathertritesubject.Manyleadinganthropologists,
includingtheauthorofTheGoldenBough,wouldwhollyorinthemainrefusethetitleof
religiontothesealmostinarticulateceremoniesofveryhumblefolk.Iamafraid,however,that
Icannotfollowthem.Nay,Iwouldnotleaveoutawholecontinentfromasurveyofthe
religionsofmankindinordertohumourthemostdistinguishedofmyfriends.Nowclearlyif
theseobservancesarenottoberegardedasreligious,likeaweddinginchurch,soneithercan
theybeclassedascivil,likeitsdrabequivalentataregistryoffice.Theyaremysteries,and
arethereforeatleastgenericallyakintoreligion.Moreover,theyareheldinthehighestpublic
esteemasofinfiniteworthwhetherinthemselvesorfortheireffects.Tolabelthem,then,
withtheopprobriousnameofmagicasiftheywereonaparwiththemummeriesthatenable
certainknavestobattenonthenervesoffoolsisquiteunscientificforitmixesuptwothings
whichthestudentofhumanculturemustkeeprigidlyapart,namely,anormaldevelopmentof
thesociallifeandoneofitsmorbidbyproducts.Henceformetheybelongtoreligion,butof
coursetorudimentaryreligiontoanearlyphaseofthesameworldwideinstitutionthatwe
knowbythatnameamongourselves.Iamboundtopostulatethestrictestcontinuitybetween
thesestagesofwhatIhavehereundertakentointerpretasanaturalgrowth.
6. Guthrie(2000)pp.2256(http://books.google.es/books?id=wlNJQoZlGC4C&pg=PA225)
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7. Pandian,Jacob(1997)Thesacredintegrationoftheculturalself:Ananthropologicalapproachtothestudyof
religion,p.507inS.Glazier(Ed.)Theanthropologyofreligion
8. Harvey,VanA.(1996)Projection:ametaphorinsearchofatheory?p.67inD.Z.Philips(ed.)Canreligionbe
explainedaway?
9. Harvey,VanA.(1997)Feuerbachandtheinterpretationofreligion(http://books.google.es/books?
id=KdsKpZ6eJWMC&pg=PA4)p.4
10. Feuerbach,Ludwig(1841)TheEssenceofChristianity
11. Mackey,JamesPatrick(2000)TheCritiqueofTheologicalReason,CambridgeUniversityPress.pp.412
12. JohnK.Nelson(1990)AFieldStatementontheAnthropologyofReligion
(http://inic.utexas.edu/asnic/subject/essayonreli.html)
13. Cotrupi,CaterinaNellaNorthropFryeandthepoeticsofprocess(http://books.google.es/books?
id=rh8gcNF9YXkC&pg=PA21)p.21
14. mileDurkheim(1912)TheElementaryFormsoftheReligiousLife
15. Bowie,Fiona(1999)TheAnthropologyofReligion:AnIntroduction.Oxford:Blackwell.p.15,143
16. Durkheim,p.266inthe1963edition
17. C.Geertz,"ReligionasaCulturalSystem,"inAnthropologicalApproachestotheStudyofReligion,ed.M.
Banton(London:Tavistock,1966):146
18. AnthonyWallace(http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/information/biography/uvwxyz/wallace_anthony.html)

References
Guthrie,StewartElliott(2000)Projection(http://books.google.es/books?
id=wlNJQoZlGC4C&pg=PA225),inBraun,WilliandMcCutcheon,RussellT.(eds.)(2000)Guide
totheStudyofReligion(London&NewYork:Cassell)

Externallinks
HomepageofTheSocietyfortheAnthropologyofReligion
(http://www.aaanet.org/sections/sar/sar_newsite/)withinAmericanAnthropologicalAssociation
AnthropologyofReligionPage(http://www.as.ua.edu/ant/Faculty/murphy/419/419www.htm)M.D.
Murphy,UniversityofAlabama
AndrewLang,AnthropologyandReligion(http://www.psychanalyseparis.com/831Anthropology
andReligion.html),TheMakingofReligion,(ChapterII),Longmans,Green,andC,London,New
YorkandBombay,1900,pp.3964.
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