Indigenous Religions

(4 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

In the traditional study of religion where the great ¿world religions¿ such as Christianity, Islam and Buddhism receive the central focus, so-called ¿indigenous¿ religions are often treated marginally and received little attention. The history of the discipline, however, indicates that indigenous religious traditions provided important resources for theorizing ¿religion¿ as a subject of an academic study. Furthermore, ¿revivals¿ of indigenous religions have been witnessed in the recent years as the world is becoming more globalized. In this course, we will first closely examine the texts that delineate such indigenous religious traditions and explore common threads that run through them. Secondly, we will also look into modern/contemporary expressions of ¿indigenous religion¿ and explore its new meaning in our globalized world. In- class discussion and presentation are essential parts of the course.