Synopses & Reviews
<div>Gregory Shushan challenges post-modern scholarly attitudes concerning cross-cultural comparisons in the study of religions. In an original and innovative piece of comparative research, he analyses afterlife conceptions in five ancient civilisations (Old and Middle Kingdom Egypt, Sumerian and Old Babylonian Mesopotamia, Vedic India, pre-Buddhist China, and pre-Columbian Mesoamerica). <br/><br/></div><br/><div>These are considered in light of historical and contemporary reports of near-death experiences, and shamanic afterlife ‘journeys'. <em>Conceptions of the Afterlife in Early Civilizations</em> is a significant study, for it presents a comprehensive new comparative framework for the cross-cultural study of myth and religion, while at the same time providing a fascinating exploration of the interface between belief and experience.</div>>
Synopsis
Gregory Shushan challenges post-modern scholarly attitudes concerning cross-cultural comparisons in the study of religions.
Synopsis
Gregory Shushan challenges post-modern scholarly attitudes concerning cross-cultural comparisons in the study of religions. In an original and innovative piece of comparative research, he analyses afterlife conceptions in five ancient civilisations (Old and Middle Kingdom Egypt, Sumerian and Old Babylonian Mesopotamia, Vedic India, pre-Buddhist China, and pre-Columbian Mesoamerica).
These are considered in light of historical and contemporary reports of near-death experiences, and shamanic afterlife ‘journeys'. Conceptions of the Afterlife in Early Civilizations is a significant study, for it presents a comprehensive new comparative framework for the cross-cultural study of myth and religion, while at the same time providing a fascinating exploration of the interface between belief and experience.
Synopsis
Gregory Shushan challenges post-modern scholarly attitudes concerning cross-cultural comparisons in the study of religions. In an original and innovative piece of comparative research, he analyses afterlife conceptions in five ancient civilisations (Old and Middle Kingdom Egypt, Sumerian and Old Babylonian Mesopotamia, Vedic India, pre-Buddhist China, and pre-Columbian Mesoamerica). These are considered in light of historical and contemporary reports of near-death experiences, and shamanic afterlife ‘journeys'. Conceptions of the Afterlife in Early Civilizations is a significant study, for it presents a comprehensive new comparative framework for the cross-cultural study of myth and religion, while at the same time providing a fascinating exploration of the interface between belief and experience.
Table of Contents
Foreword by Gavin FloodAcknowledgementsAbbreviations of Primary SourcesIntroduction
Part I: Theory and Methodology in Concept and Application 1. Comparison, Universalism, and the Rehabilitation of the Comparative ‘Similar'2. Early Civilizations, Contact, Diffusion, and Cultural Continuity3. Near-Death Experience
Part II: Conceptions of the Afterlife in Early Civilizations4. Old and Middle Kingdom Egypt5. Sumerian and Old Babylonian Mesopotamia6. Vedic India7. Pre-Buddhist China8. Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica
Part III: Universalism and Culture-Specificity: An Interdisciplinary Approach9. Analysis of Similarities and Differences10. The Interface of Conception and Experience11. Alternative and Supplementary Theories12. Conclusions: Theoretical Eclecticism and A New Comparative FrameworkReferencesIndex