Overview

This volume provides a thorough introduction to the major classic and modern writings dealing with religious sacrifice. Collected here are twenty five influential selections, each with a brief introduction addressing the overall framework and assumptions of its author. As they present different theories and examples of sacrifice, these selections also discuss important concepts in religious studies such as the origin of religion, totemism, magic, symbolism, violence, structuralism and ritual performance. Students of comparative religion, ritual studies, the history of religions, the anthropology of religion and theories of religion will particularly value the historical organization and thematic analyses presented in this collection.

Full Product Details

Author:   Jeffrey Carter
Publisher:   Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint:   Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd.
Dimensions:   Width: 18.90cm , Height: 2.40cm , Length: 24.60cm
Weight:   0.300kg
ISBN:  

9780826448798

ISBN 10:   0826448798
Pages:   480
Publication Date:   01 March 2003
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  General ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Language:   English

Table of Contents

1. General Introduction Jeffrey Carter 2. Primitive Culture: researches in the Development of Mythology, Philosophy, Religion, Language, Arts and Custom Sir Edward B. Tylor 3. the Principles of Sociology, Vol 1 Herbert Spencer 4. The Religion of the Semites: The Fundamental Institutions W. Robertson Smith 5. The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion James G. Frazer 6. Sacrifice: Its Nature and Function Henri Hubert and Marcel Mauss 7. The Origin and Development of the Moral Ideas, Vol 1 Edward A. Westermarck 8. The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life Emile Durkheim 9. Totem and Taboo: Some Points of Agreement Between the Mental Lives of Savages and Neurotics Sigmund Freud 10. Religion in Essence and Manifestation Gerardus van der Leeuw 11. Myth and Cult Among Primitive Peoples Adolf Jensen 12. Nuer Religion E.E. Evans-Prichard 13. The Savage Mind Claude Levi-Strauss 14. Violence and the Sacred Rene Girard 15. Homo Necans: The Anthropology of Ancient Greek Sacrificial Ritual and Myth Walter Burkert 16. Theory of Religion Georges Bataille 17. Sacrifice as Quintessential Process: Prophylaxis or Abandonment? Victor Turner 18. Kingship and Sacrifice: Ritual and Society in Ancient Hawaii Valerio Valeri 19. Sacrifice in Africa: A Structuralist Approach Luc de Heusch 20. the Domestication of Sacrifice Jonathan Z. Smith 21. The Power of Sacrifice in Ancient Judaism and Christianity Robert J. Daly 22. Debreasting, Disarming, Beheading: Some Sacrificial Practices of Scyths and Amazons Bruce Lincoln 23. Women and Sacrifice: Male Narcissism and the Psychology of Religion William Beers 24. Throughout Your Generations Forever: Sacrifice, Religion and Paternity Nancy Jay 25. Prey Into Hunter: The Politics of Religious Experience Maurice Bloch 26. The Death and Resurrection of the Beloved Son: The Transformation of child Sacrifice in Judaism and Christianity Jon D. Levenson 27. Conclusion: Theory Making and Sacrifice Jeffrey Carter

Reviews

Confronting the massive scope of approaches to the problem of sacrifice inspires both euphoria and vertigo in the reader. What a boon, then, Jeffrey Carter has presented to scholars of religion. Through his painstaking selections, incisive introduction

Carter's book is the first to my knowledge that brings together a comprehensive collection of the major theories of sacrifice from the last 200 years. The excerpted texts are brief enough to be manageable but long enough to capture the main points in each of the authors' arguments. This is an important volume that will be of great value in the classroom and of general interest to anyone interested in religious studies, anthropology or sociology. I enjoyed reading it. <br> Hugh B. Urban, Assistant Professor, Department of Comparative Studies, Ohio State University

Author Information

Jeffrey Carter is Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina.

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