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Why is Anthropology a good field to study?

Why is the study of religious ritual classified as a subject for anthropology, rather than religious studies?

  • I have a degree in religious studies, and I'm very interested in religious rituals. Most of the books about it are written by anthropologists, and some use jargon of that field that I am not very familiar with. Why is ritual classified as a subject for anthropology, rather than religious studies? What would be the difference between someone who studied ritual as an anthropologist, and one who studied it as a "religious study"? Would the 2 have different perspectives?

  • Answer:

    I am bachelor in sociology and I have also wondered where is the border between all these sciences. Anthropology is generally the science that examines the way people live in the different social realms. A science for the society but is interested in the human beings living in this society not the processes in it that is work for the sociology. Anthropology is very close to culturology, ethnology, sociology even philosophy. Have in mind that these sciences are very close and unlike the sciences like mathematics, chemistry etc. most of the authors are at the same time :anthropologists; culturologists; sociologists etc. In this case the religion is being studied as an object and it can be analyzed in different ways under the point of view of each of the sciences I mentioned, or just as religious ritual study, there could be even other variants. The problem is that the texts that the authors create are often unclear if they are anthropological, culturological or smth else. So you see it is very complicated picture, I hope I helped ;)

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Each human from the beginning of time had their own thoughts on th matter. When two had the same thought, one became the leader.

James C

I think the perspective would belong to the individual doing the studying. The stereotypical idea, probably, would be that the cultural anthropologist would take a more objective stance as opposed to a more "why does this work? how does this work?" from the person involved in religious studies. (The former might simply report what a group does and what they believe about it rather than even assuming it DOES work for them.) But, like I said, this is just the stereotype. Either person could take a more involved stance. And lately, it seems like people from both views are studying similarities in current religions and ancient religions along with differences in practices. It does seem like a lot of people are fascinated with this subject in the last 15 or so years.

lotus4yoga

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