Teaching the Anthropology of Religion

A discussion of issues raised by personal experience in teaching the social anthropology of religion in African contexts. Firstly, the approach of cultural relativism, which dismisses issues of belief, is seen to be unsatisfactory; students rightly expect their academic training to help them make ju...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Anthropology today 1986-08, Vol.2 (4), p.11-14
Main Author: Bourdillon, M. F. C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Africa
Anthropology
Anthropology of religion
Christianity
College instruction
Cultural anthropology
Cultural Relativism
Religion
Religious Beliefs
Religious rituals
Social Anthropology
Sociology Education
Teachers
Truth value
Witchcraft
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Summary:A discussion of issues raised by personal experience in teaching the social anthropology of religion in African contexts. Firstly, the approach of cultural relativism, which dismisses issues of belief, is seen to be unsatisfactory; students rightly expect their academic training to help them make judgments about beliefs in their own cultures. Secondly, in developing countries, academic curiosity is rarely sufficient reason for spending time & money, students need to be convinced of the usefulness of a discipline. AA
ISSN:0268-540X
1467-8322
DOI:10.2307/3032711