Anthropological Study Of Religion Analysis

In the ‘Anthropological Study of Religion’, the key point is to understand the history of religion. The reading illustrates the beliefs and theories of social scientists from the nineteenth century to the twentieth century, and now – the twenty-first century. It hovers around the questions of where religion came from and what is a part of religion, such as the culture, language and rituals. More importantly, it presents the question of “what religion is” and if it can be given a definite definition.
‘Anthropological Study of Religion’ focuses on the social scientists that risen religion and its anthropology. Max Muller, William Robertson Smith, Edward Burnett Tylor, and James G. Frazer were among the social scientists whose research helped …show more content…
Geetz, the leading anthropologist of the twentieth century, is known for his examination of religious symbols and their meaning (31). He wanted to make sense of cultural systems and also encouraged other social scientists to abide by that task. He believed that symbols guide humans and give us a sense of meaning. Unlike other social scientists, Geertz defined religion. The following is his definition of religion: “a system which acts to establish powerful, persuasive, and long lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order to existence, and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that these moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic.” (31). Geertz’s definition of religion met with criticism. Talal Asad was one of these critics. In her book, ‘Genealogies of Religion’ (1993), she stated that religion cannot be given a universal definition and that any definition of religion is considered ethnocentric. Geertz has influenced other theories with his notion of cultural systems. For example, it has become the central focus for all contemporary definitions of religion …show more content…
It depicts the change over the course of time, through theories and research methods. It also examines the questions individuals contemplate – which can be seen in the works of the social scientists. One may wonder what the purpose is of bringing forth the research from the past as it is just old and should be “abandoned” (Morton Klaus, 36), however, anthropologists today conduct theories based off the scholars from the past and also expand on it. Anthropology of religion has come a long way from the nineteenth century as it now also focuses on biological and experimental models of religion (36). Religion has been studied for centuries; it is questionable as to how religion will be viewed and studied in a century from