Reviews for Relating Religion: Essays in the Study of Religion

The average rating for Relating Religion: Essays in the Study of Religion based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-10-22 00:00:00 Adam Howard Beginning with a heavily annotated autobiographical essay, this collection gives a nice illustration of the development and breadth of Smith's thought. Rigorous in his pursuit of method and the more subtle aspects of what comparison means, one might say that Smith is an academic par excellence. Whether being a good academic is enough to study religion is another topic. I say this because, while I see his points, I do not think religion, even if invented as a category by academics, remains able to be domesticated. Smith's mind is truly powerful and eccentric.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-02-02 00:00:00 Mike Taylor This is probably the most helpful collection of Smith's essays. He provides an autobiographical intro charting his interests and research questions over the course of his career, and many of the treatment provided here are indicative of some of his major works. So, if you want to know how Smith understands his own argument in "To Take Place" or his obsession with the dictum "Map is not Territory," this is the place to start. There is a lot of repetition in this collection; he occasionally uses the same few paragraphs at the same points in his argument... but overall the collected essays are helpful, coherent, and provide interesting forays into history of religions, comparative methodology, and Smith's own distinctive approach.