Böcker av James L. Cox

This book compiles James L. Cox's most important writings on a phenomenology of Indigenous Religions into one volume, with a new introduction and conclusion by the author. Cox has consistently exemplified phenomenological methods by applying them to his own field studies among Indigenous Religions, principally in Zimbabwe and Alaska, but also in Australia and New Zealand. Included in this collection are his articles in which he defines what he means by the category 'religion' and how this informs his precise meaning of the classification 'Indigenous Religions'.These theoretical considerations are always illustrated clearly and concisely by specific studies of Indigenous Religions and their dynamic interaction with contemporary political and social circumstances. This collection demonstrates the continued relevance of the phenomenological method in the study of religions by presenting the method as dynamic and adaptable to contemporary social contexts and as responsive to intellectual critiques of the method.

Examining a range of indigenous religions from North America, Africa and Australasia, 'The Invention of God in Indigenous Societies' argues that the interests of indigenous societies are best served by carefully describing their religious beliefs and practices using historical and phenomenological methods.

The academic study of Indigenous Religions developed historically from missiological and anthropological sources. Evaluating this assumption in the light of case studies drawn from Zimbabwe, Alaska and shamanic traditions, and in view of debates over 'primitivism', this work mounts a defence for the use of the category 'Indigenous Religions'.

Presents an introduction to the phenomenology of religion. This book describes the historical background to phenomenology by tracing its roots to developments in philosophy and the social sciences in the early twentieth century.