Museums of World Religions - Displaying the Divine, Shaping Cultures

Critically examining the notion of ''world religions'', Charles D. Orzech compares five purpose-built museums of world religions and their online extensions. Inspired by the 19th and 20th century discipline of comparative religion, these museums seek to promote religious tolerance by representing religious diversity and by arguing for underlying kinship among religions. From locations in Europe (Marburg, Glasgow and St Petersburg), to North America (Quebec) to Asia (Taipei), each museum advances a particular cultural history. This book shows how the curation of the objects they contain shapes public perceptions of religion, giving material form to the discourses about religion and world religions.Raising important questions about religion and secularity, museum displays and religious piety, M ums of World Religions questions the ideology that informs these museums. Building on recent anthropological work on the agency of religious objects, the author critiques these museums and suggests new approaches to displaying the matter of religion.>

Product details

• Authors: Charles Orzech, Charles (Colby College Orzech, Charles (University of Glasgow Orzech
• Assisted by: Birgit Meyer (Editor), Amy Whitehead (Editor)
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 31.12.2018
• EAN: 9781350016248
• ISBN: 978-1-350-01624-8
• No. of pages: 224
• Series: Bloomsbury Studies in Material; Bloomsbury Studies in Material; Bloomsbury Studies in Material Religion
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Religion/theology > Other religions; Social sciences, law, business > Social sciences (general); RELIGION / Eastern, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / General, Museum, historic sites, gallery & art guides, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology of Religion, TRAVEL / Museums, Tours, Points of Interest, comparative religion, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / General, RELIGION / Comparative Religion, Sociology & anthropology, Sociology and anthropology, Travel guides: museums, historic sites, galleries etc, East Asian religions, Oriental Religions