Religion in Context
Cults and Charisma

Study of religion in society, revealing connections between different cults and religions.

I. M. Lewis (Author)

9780521562348, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 18 April 1996

216 pages, 4 tables
22.4 x 14.2 x 2.1 cm, 0.35 kg

'The book, complete with punctilious notes for each chapter and a well selected bibliography, may serve as a stimulus for the thinking anthropologist as well as a valuable choice for the attentive reader.' Man

Religious power assumes many strikingly different forms, which are often regarded as unique, unrelated, and even mutually exclusive. Religion in Context, however, adopts a holistic approach and argues that these apparently contradictory mystical experiences are in fact part of a web of mutually defining and sustaining elements. Stressing the importance of rigorous social contextualisation, I. M. Lewis analyses phenomena such as spirit-possession, witchcraft, cannibalism, and shamanism, revealing connections between them and with the world religions. This expanded and updated edition illuminates critical aspects of religious power, and demonstrates the value of a comparative approach to formulating anthropological theory. It will be of value to students of anthropology, religion, and to anyone concerned with the nature of religion in the modern world.

1. Anthropological fieldwork and the context of belief
2. The spirit spider and the Pangolin
3. Possession cults in context
4. Witchcraft within and without
5. The cannibal's cauldron
6. The Shaman's career
7. Expelling spirits, controlling women
8. the power of the past: African 'survivals' in Islam
Notes
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Social & cultural anthropology, ethnography [JHMC]