E-Book Overview
Whereas many textbooks treat the subject of world religions in an apolitical way, as if each religion were a path for individuals seeking wisdom and not a discourse intimately connected with the exercise of power, James W. Laine treats religion and politics as halves of the same whole, tracing their relationship from the policies of Alexander the Great to the ideologies of modern Europe secularists, with stops in classical India, China, and the Islamic world. Meta-Religion is a groundbreaking text that brings power and politics to the fore of our understanding of world religions, placing religion at the center of world history. This synthetic approach is both transformative and enlightening as it presents a powerful model for thinking differently about what religion is and how it functions in the world. With images and maps to bring the narrative to life, Meta-Religion combines sophisticated scholarly critique with accessibility that students and scholar alike will appreciate.
E-Book Information
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Series: Joan Palevsky imprint in classical literature
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Year: 2,014
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Pages: 282
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Language: English
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Asin: B00R590NFQ
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Org File Size: 21,441,468
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Extension: epub
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Tags:
Religions -- History. Religion and politics -- History. Religion and politics. Religions.
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Toc: Content: Alexander and Ashoka : cosmopolitan empires and religious policy from Egypt to India, 330-230 BC -- Imperial religion : China to Rome, 250 BC- 250 AD -- The debate over Dharma: Hindus and Buddhists compete for ideological dominance in South Asia -- Confessional religion and empire before the rise of Islam -- The rise of Islam and the early Caliphate, 622-711 AD -- Imperial Islam : 690-1500 AD -- The great Islamic empires of the early modern era (ca. 1500-1700) -- Putting religion in its place : reformers, kings and philosophers challenge the church -- Putting religion in its place : revolution and religious freedom -- The contemporary era : the world-wide regime of meta-religion.