REL 29.01 Religion in the Modern World
As late as the 1970s, academics were convinced that religion was dying, and that it was less and less relevant to the contemporary world. Then came the Iranian Revolution, the Rise of the Religious Conservatives in the US, the settler movement in Israel, the appearance of militant Buddhists in Sri Lanka, and then of course 9/11. In this introductory, reading and discussion-based course we will first try to understand what we mean by the term “modernity” and what features are characteristic of it. Then we will consider and discuss a series of topics related to modernity and religion. Readings are designed to include both topical cases and classic works in the study of religion and modernity. Open to all.