Faculty of Arts & Science
Religious Studies

FACULTY PUBLICATIONS

2012

Studying Buddhism in Practice
(Editor:  John S. Harding)
Publisher:  Routledge
Publication Date:  January 26, 2012
ISBN:  978-0415464864

This book introduces the rich realities of the Buddhist tradition and the academic approaches through which they are studied.  Based on personal experiences of Buddhism on the ground, it provides a reflective context within which religious practices can be understood and appreciated.  The engaging narratives cover a broad range of buddhist countries and traditions, drawing on fieldwork to explore topics such as ordination, pilgrimage, funerals, gender roles, and film-making.  All the entries provide valuable contextual discussion and are accompanied by photographs and suggestions for further reading.

2011

Out of the Mouths of Babes: Girl Evangelists in the Flapper Era
(Thomas A. Robinson and Lanette D. Ruff)
Publisher:  Oxford University Press
Publication Date:  December, 2011
ISBN:  978-0199790876

The 1920s saw one of the most striking revolutions in manners and morals to have marked North American society, affecting almost every aspect of life, from dress and drink to sex and salvation.  Protestant Christianity was being torn apart by a heated controversy between traditionalists and the modernists, as they sought to determine how much their beliefs and practices should be altered by scientific study and more secular attributes.  Out of the controversy arose the Fundamentalist movement, which has become a powerful force in 20th-century America.

During this decade, hundreds (and perhaps thousands) of young girl preachers, some not even school age, joined the conservative Christian cause, proclaiming traditional values and condemning modern experiments with the new morality.  Some of the girls drew crowds nto the thousands.  But the stage these girls gained went far beyond the revivalist platform.  The girl evangelist phenomenon was recognized in the wider society as well, and the contrast to the flapper worked well for the press and the public.  Girl evangelists stood out as the counter-type of the flapper, who had come to define the modern girl.  The striking contrast these girls offered to the racy flapper and to modern culture generally made girl evangelists a convenient and effective tool for conservative and revivalist Christianity, a toll which was used by their adherents in the clash of cultures that marked the 1920s.

Studying Hinduism in Practice
(Editor:  Hillary P. Rodrigues)
Publisher:  Routledge
Publication Date:  July 21, 2011
ISBN:  978-0415468480

Drawing on personal experiences of Hinduism on the ground, this book provides a reflective context within which religious practices can be understood and appreciated.  It conveys the rich realities of the Hindu tradition and the academic approaches through which they are studied.  The chapters cover a wide range of topics, including dance, music, performance, festival traditions, temples, myth, philosophy, women's practices, and divine possession.  The engaging narratives are accompanied by contextual discussions and advice on such topics as conducting fieldwork, colonialism, Hindu seasonal celebrations, understanding deities, and aesthetics in Hinduism.  All the entries are accompanied by photographs and suggestions for further reading.