Excellent4.8 out of 5On Trustpilot
  1. Theology Books/
  2. World Religions

Invention Of World Religions

Or, How European Universalism Was Preserved in the Language of Pluralism

by Tomoko Masuzawa

  • Paperback
  • 384 pages
  • Publisher: The University Of Chicago Press
  • 18.3 x 21.5 x 2 cm

£25.46

Free UK Delivery

Available - Usually dispatched within 4 days

Buying for a school or church? Upgrade to a FREE Eden Advance Account

Free delivery on orders over £10

The idea of "world religions" expresses a vague commitment to multiculture alism. Not merely a descriptive concept, "world religions" is also a particular ethos, a pluralist ideology, a logic of classification, and a form of knowledge that has shaped the study of religion and infiltrated ordinary language. In this ambitious study, Tomoko Masuzawa examines the emergence of "world religions" in modern European thought through a close reading of a variety of sources as early as the seventeenth century. Devoting particular attention to the relation between the comparative study of language and the nascent science of religion, she demonstrates how new classifications of language and race caused Buddhism and Islam to gain special significance as these religions came to be seen in opposing terms - Aryan on one hand and Semitic on the other.Masuzawa also explores the complex relation of "world religions" to Protestant theology, from the hierarchical ordering of religions typical of the Christian supremacists of the nineteenth century, to the aspirations of early twentieth-century theologian Ernst Troeltsch, who embraced the pluralist logic of "world religions" and by so doing sought to reclaim the universalist destiny of European modernity.

  • Author

    Tomoko Masuzawa

  • Book Format

    Paperback

  • Publisher

    The University Of Chicago Press

  • Published

    May 2005

  • Weight

    518g

  • Page Count

    384

  • Dimensions

    18.3 x 21.5 x 2 cm

  • ISBN

    9780226509891

  • ISBN-10

    0226509893

  • Eden Code

    1225621

Over 14,000 churches and schools have upgraded to an Advance Account and we‘d love to welcome you into this free program. We know that church volunteers and school teachers often use their own money, then have claim it back on on an expense form. We can take all of that hassle away by invoicing your church or school directly and delivering your order straight away.

Opening an account is quick and easy, with most accounts being approved and setup within a few hours of filling in the form below (on weekdays, not weekends). As soon as we‘ve approved the application we‘ll send you an email to let you know that its done.

Upgrade to a FREE Eden Advance Account
Write a review
      Ask a question
      10% Off £100 Offer