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General & Miscellaneous Philosophy
Pursuit of Certainty by Wendy James β€” book cover

Pursuit of Certainty

by Wendy James
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Overview

The peoples of the world are now facing movement, mixing and displacement on a larger scale than ever before. We are witness to the rise of new forms of ethnic, cultural and religious identity. Those based in the highly developed countries can extend global influence through wealth and sophisticated technology. Anthropology has inherited a tradition of tolerance and cross-cultural understanding: what light can it throw on the new pursuit of truth?

With contributions from leading anthropologists from Germany, the US, Canada, Australia, Malaysia and Britain, The Pursuit of Certainty presents a dozen original case studies which explore this theme.

This book demonstrates anthropology's relevance to the contemporary world and its turbulence providing a critical perspective on the new religious movements and current popular orthodoxies about society and culture. Complementing the text-led approaches of history or theology, each chapter offers insights from patientinvestigative fieldwork, illustrating the way the new ideologies interact with each other and with older ideas in the actual practices of communities.

Apart from anthropologists, this volume will attract special attention from students of comparative religion, as well as from ethnic studies.

Synopsis

The peoples of the world are now facing movement, mixing and displacement on a larger scale than ever before. We are witness to the rise of new forms of ethnic, cultural and religious identity. Those based in the highly developed countries can extend global influence through wealth and sophisticated technology. Anthropology has inherited a tradition of tolerance and cross-cultural understanding: what light can it throw on the new pursuit of truth?

With contributions from leading anthropologists from Germany, the US, Canada, Australia, Malaysia and Britain, The Pursuit of Certainty presents a dozen original case studies which explore this theme.

This book demonstrates anthropology's relevance to the contemporary world and its turbulence providing a critical perspective on the new religious movements and current popular orthodoxies about society and culture. Complementing the text-led approaches of history or theology, each chapter offers insights from patient investigative fieldwork, illustrating the way the new ideologies interact with each other and with older ideas in the actual practices of communities.

Apart from anthropologists, this volume will attract special attention from students of comparative religion, as well as from ethnic studies.

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Book Details

Published
August 1, 1995
Publisher
Taylor & Francis, Inc.
Pages
328
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780415107914

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