Cultural Approaches to Studying Religion

M. Cooper Minister is Associate Professor of Religion at Shenandoah University, USASarah J Bloesch is Teaching Assistant Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her teaching and research interests focus on Christianity, race, and sexuality in the United States.

• Introduction, M. Cooper Minister, (Shenandoah University, USA) and Sarah J. Bloesch, (University of North Carolina and Chapel Hill, USA)Part I: Comparative Approaches1. The Bounds of Body, State, and Religion: Mary Douglas. Kathryn Lofton, (Yale University, USA)2. Feminist Textual Critique: Phyllis Trible. Rhiannon Graybill, (Rhodes College, USA)3. Myth and the Religious Imaginary: Wendy Doniger, (Laurie Patton, Middlebury College, USA)4. Ritual and Belief: Catherine Bell, Kevin O’Neill, (University of Toronto, Canada)5. Inventing World Religions: Tomoko Masuzawa, Randall Styers, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA)Part II: Examining Particularities6. Signifying Religion in the Modern World: Charles H. Long , (Juan Floyd-Thomas, Vanderbilt University, USA)7. Womanist Religious Interpretation: Alice Walker, Caroline Medine, (University of Georgia, USA)8. Gender and Materiality: Caroline Walker Bynum, Jessica A. Boon, (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA)Part III: Expanding Boundaries9. Mestiza Language of Religion: Gloria Anzaldúa, Joseph Winters, (Duke University, USA)10. Peformative, Queer Theories of Religion: Judith Butler, Ellen T Armour, (Vanderbilt University, USA) and Sarah J. Bloesch, (University of North Carolina and Chapel Hill, USA)11. Disrupting Secular Power and the Study of Religion: Saba Mahmood, Sher Ali Tareen, (Franklin and Marshall College, USA)12. Transnational Sexualities and Religion: Jasbir Puar, Jacob Lau, (California State University, Northridge, USA)BibliographyIndex

The secret is out! Minister and Bloesch’s 2nd edition is a testament to the conversation they’ve generated about the field. With expanded introductions, key words, and additional content, this expanded version of Cultural Approaches to Religion further presses the benefit of examining and questioning the canon. Even more than before, this volume empowers students and scholars for this critical task!