Witchcraft's Trace (Comparative Religious Studies in the Postmodern Era)

Author: Edited by [US] Paton et al., Translated by Dai Yuanfang et al
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: Where is the comparative religious study in the postmodern era heading? This collection of essays attempts to bridge the seemingly irreconcilable divide between postmodern scholars who oppose and support comparative research. It brings together a group of religious historians with diverse expertise, who not only take the postmodern critique seriously and explain its impact on their work but also propose new comparative approaches. -- The editors of this book, Professor Jin Baoli Paton and Benjamin Ray Fraser, sharply point out: magic is the confusion between subjective and objective connections. When this confusion does not arise, the law of association brings science; while if it is misused, it produces magic. With just a small leap, it can be linked to the comparative study of the humanities. Because, as academic practice shows, comparative research has always been a matter of collecting similarities, and the issue of difference has been completely forgotten. -- Professor Jonathan Smith, Distinguished Professor of Humanities at the University of Chicago, finds Jonathan Smith's insights profound and inspiring; he motivates us to adopt a new, more self-critical comparative approach. Thus, I began to feel that a serious examination of legitimate historical comparison would inevitably open up broad possibilities for multi-layered comparisons. -- Lawrence Sullivan, Director of the Harvard University Center for the Study of World Religions, this book originated from the "Comparative Religious Studies: Contemporary Challenges and Responses" thematic symposium held by the American Academy of Religion in Philadelphia in 1995 and in New Orleans in 1996. The religious historians in attendance attempted to bridge the seemingly irreconcilable divide between postmodern scholars who oppose and support comparative research. They not only took the postmodern critique seriously and explained its impact on their work but also proposed new comparative approaches. This collection of essays is an important window for us to understand the research achievements of American religious studies in the past two or three decades.