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Reconstructing Eliade is a concept-by-concept analysis of the thought of Mircea Eliade and a re-evaluation of his analysis of religion. It illustrates how a thorough familiarity with Eliade's work can produce an interpretation of his thought as systematic, coherent, and fully rational. Part One provides an analysis of the terms of Eliade's understanding of religion--hierophany, the sacred and the dialectic of the sacred and profane, homo religiosus, myths and symbols--and thus of the meaning of religion implied throughout his work. Part Two inspects various problems which arise in light of this analysis, particularly relativism and the role of commitment. Part Three applies this analysis to certain problems--religion in the modern world and Eliade's unfinished analysis of the modern, the postmodern phenomenon, implicit religion, and various related problems in the study of religion. Far from being outmoded and inadequate, Eliade's thought is suggested to be fertile ground for the reconception of religious realities in the contemporary world.
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cover next page > title: author: publisher: isbn10 | asin: print isbn13: ebook isbn13: language: subject publication date: lcc: ddc: subject: Reconstructing Eliade : Making Sense of Religion Rennie, Bryan S. State University of New York Press 0791427633 9780791427637 9780585043289 English Eliade, Mircea,--1907- , Religion--Study and teaching-History--20th century. 1996 BL43.E4R45 1996eb 200/.92 Eliade, Mircea,--1907- , Religion--Study and teaching-History--20th century. cover If you like this book, buy it! next page > Page iii Reconstructing Eliade Making Sense of Religion by BRYAN S. RENNIE Foreword by Mac Linscott Ricketts page_iv Page iv Published by State University of New York Press, Albany © 1996 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. For information, address State University of New York Press, State University Plaza, Albany, N.Y., 12246 Production by Cathleen Collins Marketing by Theresa Abad Swierzowski Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Rennie, Bryan S., 1954Reconstructing Eliade : making sense of religion / by Bryan S. Rennie ; foreword by Mac Linscott Ricketts. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7914-2763-3 (alk. paper). ISBN 0-7914-2764-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Eliade, Mircea, 19071986. 2. ReligionStudy and teaching History20th century. I. Title. BL43.E4R45 1996 200'.92dc20 95-12358 CIP 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 page_v Page v CONTENTS Foreword by Mac Linscott Ricketts vii Acknowledgments xi Part One. The Implicit Meaning of Religion Introduction 1 1. Hierophany 7 2. The Sacred 17 3. The Dialectic of the Sacred and the Profane 27 4. The Coincidentia Oppositorum 33 5. Homo Religiosus 41 6. Symbols and Symbolism 47 7. Myths and Mythology 61 8. Illud TempusTime by Any Other Name 77 9. History and the Historical 89 10. Some Initial Conclusions 109 Part Two. Previous and Potential Criticisms Introduction 119 11. Relativism 121 12. The Retreat to Commitment 133 13. Eliade's Political Involvement 143 14. Schola