"With his sharp insight and astute analysis, McCalla shows the richness and variety of French theories of religion, bringing us into the cultural milieu most directly impacted by the French Revolution. This book is a valuable contribution to the history of ideas in France, European ideas generally, and to ongoing debates in the field of religious studies." Thomas Kselman, University of Notre Dame "McCalla has a fine command of his subjects and writes clearly about their ideas, with the result that the reader not only gains valuable insight into French contributions to the emerging discipline of the history of religions, but also can see the intimate place that discussions about religion had in early nineteenth-century epistemological reflection." H-France"By laying out how the French Revolution produced significant transformations in the understanding of religion and its role in society, and did so in a way that shaped so many of the political structures and values, as well as identities and conflicts of today's world, McCalla's study strengthens the case not only for the subject's ongoing relevance, but for its unquestionable centrality." Journal of the American Academy of Religion
