Religion and its History

This is a remarkable and much needed theoretical intervention in the study of religion long biased by the presumed link between "individualism and modernity." Through his historical engagement with the ancient Mediterranean world, Rüpke focuses not on religious systems or groups but on "historical claim-makers" as they interact with others in particular social and material contexts. By shifting his focus to socially embedded individuals who advance claims regarding uncertain events, he creates a theoretically sophisticated and highly compelling framework for analyzing "religion in the making" in both ancient and modern contexts.

Ann Taves, University of California at Santa Barbara, USA.

The imposition of modern concepts of religion on societies and cultures outside of Europe or in the past has long been criticized by scholars of religion. But what is the next step? Backed by his expertise in the history of religions, in this marvelous book Jörg Rüpke invites us to re-think religion as the attribution of "agency beyond the unquestionably plausible". Developing conceptual tools for an integrated study of religion in past and present, he offers a ground-breaking intervention that most certainly will trigger new synergies to move beyond the current fragmentation.

Birgit Meyer, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

For too long, scholars have tended to narrate religion from the standpoint of enduring belief systems that individuals may take up more or less observantly. Religion and Its History presents us an exciting alternative that starts with religious agency, individual as well as collective. It invites historians and social scientists to learn how religion emerges in action, always shaped by the situational, social and material contexts in which actors communicate religiously. Jörg Rüpke gives us a pathbreaking conceptual synthesis, setting fresh agendas for research on religion across history and across the globe.

Paul Lichterman, University of Southern California, USA.