Religion, Myth, and Magic torrent

Category: Lecture
Language: English
Keywords: Anthropology Magic Myth Religion
by Susan A. Johnston

The Anthropology of Religion
Anthropologist Susan Johnston turns a scholarly eye on one of humankind’s primary interests throughout history: the spiritual belief system. Beginning her lectures with an attempt to define religion, Professor Johnston continues this intriguing study with an examination of mythology and symbols, rituals and witchcraft, gender, politics, and religion’s place in the many customs surrounding death. A continuing and often contentious presence in the world today, religion, from its origins to the present, is a key component for understanding communities and cultures all over the globe.

Lecture 1 What Is Religion?

Lecture 2 Religious Specialists

Lecture 3 Mythology

Lecture 4 Symbols

Lecture 5 What Is Ritual?

Lecture 6 What Does Ritual Do?

Lecture 7 The Nonhuman World

Lecture 8 The Origins of Religion

Lecture 9 Analyzing Ancient Religions

Lecture 10 Dealing with Death