You will become acquainted with various approaches to material religion, learn about specific practices with objects employed in religion, and how to study the objects themselves and their use in context. 
 

Material Religion

In this semester-long course on material religion we examine the materiality of religion and its relationship to religious practices and ideas. The importance of material culture for the way religion takes shape, operates, and is experienced and expressed, can hardly be underestimated. As Matthew Engelke puts it, “All religion is material religion”.  You will become acquainted with various approaches to material religion, learn about specific practices with objects employed in religion, and how to study the objects themselves and their use in context. We will look at material dimensions of different religions from a comparative perspective.