anthropological perspectives
anthropological perspectives
This essential study develops new anthropological perspectives on religious architecture, including mosques, churches, temples and synagogues. Borrowing from a range of theoretical perspectives on space-making and material religion, the authors consider how religious buildings take their place in opposition to the secular surroundings and the neoliberal city; how they, as evocations of the sublime, help believers move beyond the boundaries of modern subjectivity; and how international heritage status may conflict with their function as community centres.
This essential study develops new anthropological perspectives on religious architecture, including mosques, churches, temples and synagogues. Borrowing from a range of theoretical perspectives on space-making and material religion, the authors consider how religious buildings take their place in opposition to the secular surroundings and the neoliberal city; how they, as evocations of the sublime, help believers move beyond the boundaries of modern subjectivity; and how international heritage status may conflict with their function as community centres. The volume includes contributions from a wide range of disciplines and regions, anthropologists, social historians, and architects working in Brazil, India, Italy, Mali, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, and the UK.