The Religious Construction of the World: Religion, Order and Ethos

FAIN: FB-12362-74

Jonathan Z. Smith
University of Chicago (Chicago, IL 60637-5418)

To consider religion as an anthropological rather than a theological enterprise. Religion will be viewed as a fabrication by man rather than as a revelation, and religious language will be viewed as a set of rules for creating reality. The first term of the seminar will be devoted to discussion of theoretical works; the second term to the application of this approach to selected examples of primitive traditions; and the third term to examples from world religions.