Synopses & Reviews
Ideal for courses in Asian/Eastern religions and world religions,
Religions of Asia Today covers the same material as the second half of the authors' longer textbook,
World Religions Today, Third Edition, while also featuring
a unique chapter on Islam in Asia. Revealing the significance of religion in contemporary life, Religions of Asia Today explores major religious traditions--Hinduism, Buddhism, East Asian Religions, Islam in Asia, indigenous religions, and new religions--as dynamic, ongoing forces in the lives of individuals and in the collective experience of modern societies. This unique volume accomplishes two goals; it connects today's religions to their classical beliefs and practices while also focusing on how these religions have responded to and been transformed by the modern world. The authors combine thorough coverage of the historical background of each religion with up-to-the-minute discussions of its current practices. Each chapter includes an "Encounter with Modernity" section that illustrates the tension between premodern views and modernity. The text is enhanced by numerous pedagogical aids--timelines, maps, illustrations, discussion questions, and a comprehensive glossary of key terms--and more than 100 illustrations and photographs. It also incorporates "Tales of Spiritual Transformation" boxes--which relate the stories of people whose lives have been changed by religious faith--and "Teachings of Religious Wisdom" boxes, which introduce primary source material.
Religions of Asia Today emphasizes the interconnectedness of faith, culture, politics, and society, providing a peerless examination of the diverse ways in which contemporary human beings are religious. An Instructor's Manual and a Companion Website at www.oup.com/us/esposito provide resources for both students and instructors.
Also available to suit your course needs:
World Religions Today, Third Edition (978-0-19-536563-4)
Religions of the West Today (978-0-19-537361-5)
Table of Contents
Preface1. Introduction
Globalization: World Religions in Everyone's Hometown
Understanding Religious Experience and Its Expressions
The Great Transition: From Tribal Life to Urban Life and the Emergence of World Religions
The Great Religious Stories of the World
Modernization in Global Perspective
Modern Colonialism, the Socialist Challenge, and the End of Modernity
Postmodern Trends in a Postcolonial World
Conclusion: We Are All Heretics in the Postmodern Situation
2. Indigenous Religions
I. Origins of Homo Religiosus: Prehistory
II. Indigenous Religious Traditions: Soul Belief and Afterlife
III. Indigenous Religions Today
3. Hinduism
Encountering Modernity: Hindu Challenges to India as a Secular State
Premodern Hinduism: The Formative Era
Premodern Hinduism: The Classical Era (180 BCE-900 CE)
Premodern Hinduism: The Postclassical Era (900 CE-1500 CE)
Hinduism and Modernity
Hinduism and Postmodern Trends in a Postcolonial World
Hindu Festival Practice
The Religious Institutions of Contemporary Hinduism
4. Buddhism: Ways to Nirvana
Encounter with Modernity: Socially Engaged Buddhism
Premodern Buddhism: The Formative Era
Premodern Buddhism: The Classical Era
The Core Doctrines
Premodern Buddhism: Buddhist Expansion
Buddhism and Postmodern Trends in a Postcolonial World
5. East Asian Religions: Traditions of Human Cultivation and Natural Harmony
Encounter with Modernity: Postcolonial Confucian
Economics
East Asian Religions in the Premodern Era
East Asian Religions in the Early Modern Era
East Asian Religions and Postmodern Trends in a Postcolonial World
6. Islam in Asia
The Dawn of Islam in Asia
The Islamic Tradition
Jihad
The Challenge of European Colonialism
7. Globalization: From New to New Age Religions
New Religions
New Age Religions
Religious Postmodernism and Global Ethics, Glossary
Art Credits
Index