by Harsha Gautam
Prof. Oliver Freiberger recently published his new book, Religionsvergleich: Ansätze, Kritik, Praxis (Nomos, 2022) (Comparative Religion: Approaches, Critique, and Practice). This German-language textbook on comparison comes as part of a series of textbooks for students of religious and cultural studies. It introduces them to the central topics, theories and methods in the study of religion.
With detailed chapters on the history of religious comparison, theories and methods of comparison, comparison of religions in criticism, and the implementation and relevance of the comparison of religions, the book shows how a comparative framework can be useful for the study of religion and interculturality.
English Abstract
How are Muslim concepts of God different from Christian or Hindu ones? What do they have in common? Comparing religious concepts, practices and objects is an everyday operation in religious studies research. But some comparative studies, especially cross-cultural ones, have also raised fundamental doubts about the method’s value. This book introduces the history, theory and practice of making comparisons in the study of religion. It discusses major approaches, addresses challenges and criticism, and demonstrates how today’s religious studies scholars can make comparisons productively and responsibly. The book is designed as a basic textbook for a one-semester course on the topic.
Oliver Freiberger is a Professor of Asian Studies and Religious Studies at The University of Texas at Austin. His research interests include the history of Buddhism in South Asia, asceticism, religious boundary-making, and comparison in the study of religion.
