Materializing Religion

The material symbol has become central to understanding religion in late modernity. Overtly theological approaches use words to express the values and faith of a religion but leave out the 'incarnation' of religion in the behavioural performative or audio-visual form. This book explores the lived experience of religion through its material expressions demonstrating how religion and spirituality are given form and are thus far from being detached or ethereal. Cutting across cultures senses disciplines and faiths the contributors register the variety in which religions and religious groups express the sacred and numinous. Including chapters on music architecture festivals ritual artifacts dance dress and magic this book offers an invaluable resource to students of sociology and anthropology of religion art culture history liturgy theories of late modern culture and religious studies.