Anthropology of Religion - Period 5 Social Sciences & Humanities Program Spring 2023 Semester - Amsterdam

Religion is one of the most studied subjects in the discipline of cultural anthropology. This course is designed to give an overview of anthropological perspectives to religion and the theoretical debates that stem from it. Throughout the course we will discuss a selection of key texts from the anthropological field to introduce various theoretical frameworks towards the phenomenon of religion like idealism, materialism, functionalism, structuralism, symbolism and postcolonial perspectives. Each of these theoretical frameworks will be placed within its historical context as well as related to the study of contemporary religion in an increasing globalizing world. Important concepts like symbols and rituals, the difference (or not) between religion and magic, gender, religious authority, practices of witchcraft and shamanism, and the role of body, the senses and the aesthetics in religious experiences will be addressed. The students will be introduced to the significance and practice of the distinct anthropological method of ethnographic research.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) awards credits based on the ECTS system. Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course therefore, CEA's recommended credits are based on the ECTS credits assigned by VU Amsterdam. 1 ECTS equals 28 contact hours assigned by VU Amsterdam.