Anthropology of Religion: The Afterlives of Religion (CD or SA)

Subject associations
ANT 217 / HLS 216 / REL 218
Term
Spring 2024
Instructors
Clayton Goodgame
Registrar description

While 20th c. proclamations on the death of religion were clearly ill-conceived, the concept of religion has languished in anthropology for some time. This course provides a post-mortem, while also exploring new ways of understanding the influence of mystery and divinity on social life. We begin with classic theories of religion and major critiques before exploring traditions like Orthodox Christianity, SanterĂ­a/Ocha and Hinduism alongside UFO cultures and immortalist associations. Readings pair ethnography from the Mediterranean to Melanesia with new theoretical approaches, asking students to read religion and non-religion against the grain.