This second edition of Introducing World Religions continues to offer a pioneering approach to the study of world religions. Taking its inspiration from performance studies and using an innovative dramatic metaphor, the book enables students to explore religious ideas and cultures in terms of the players (key figures), the script (basic, support, and challenge “textures”), and performances (religious practices). The new edition has been thoroughly updated and offers fresh discussions on deconstructive analysis and postcolonial theory, alongside relevant interpretative tools from established comparative studies. It presents workable concepts through both religionist and reductionist perspectives, as it introduces a stereoscopic view for the history of religions. Specially designed textbook features include:chapter timelines showing key persons, events, and dates for contextthemed boxes to encourage methodological enquiry and explore cutting-edge case studieskey point chapter summaries to support understanding and revisionstudy questions to assist large and small group discussionsillustrative images and figures with engaging captionsglossary of key concepts and terms to build a body of knowledgekey reading, a comprehensive bibliography, and index for referenceIdeal for one-semester or modular introductory survey courses, Introducing World Religions continues to be essential reading for students of religions worldwide.
