Book Launch — A Practical Guide to Critical Religion

Join the Institute of Ismaili Studies for a discussion with authors of A Practical Guide to Critical Religion, a new book that aims to make critical theory on ‘religion’ more accessible, hopefully even to its sceptics.

Why do many scholars now doubt that ‘religion’ is a useful concept for understanding aspects of our world? What’s wrong with describing things as ‘religious’ or ‘non-religious’? Why does it matter, and what can we do about it? These are the kinds of questions addressed by the book’s twelve authors, who speak to the importance and usefulness of critical approaches based on their own research and teaching in various fields.

The book offers a toolkit for understanding and doing Critical Religion – i.e., the critical study of ‘religion’ and related categories such as ‘the secular’. Through a diverse sample of cutting-edge scholarship, this book shows what Critical Religion means in action. It includes perspectives on history, anthropology, sociology, political science, and education, with case studies representing research in contexts from Japan to the Middle East to Europe and North America.

This event is an opportunity to discuss the critical revolution in religious studies with several of its pioneers. A panel of scholars will explain what critical religion means to them and share their experience of putting these theoretical insights into practice.

Attendees are invited to stay for drinks reception at the AKC afterwards.