Chapter 1: The Anthropological Study of Religion
Chapter Summary
Theories of Anthropology quiz
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Study Questions
- What is an “anthropological perspective”? How does an anthropological perspective help us understand religion?
- What are the differences between an emic and etic perspective? Why is this important in the study of religion?
- Identify and explain the primary theoretical approaches to the study of religion.
- What is the practice of cultural relativism and why is it important in anthropology?
- What is the operational definition of religion presented in Chapter 1? What are the advantages of using an operational definition?
- What are some of the primary ways that religion shifts from one to another subsistence pattern?
- Think back to a ritual that you have attended—a wedding ceremony, for example. Write three brief descriptions of the ritual from each of the following viewpoints: analytic, functional, and essentialist.