Taboo, Truth and Religion

Jeremy Adler (Curatore)

Richard Fardon (Curatore)

Berghahn Books, Incorporated, 1999

Franz Steiner's study of Taboo is internationally recognized as a classic in its field. In a newly researched introductory chapter, based on a thorough study of Steiner's unpublished papers, this edition for the first time places the book in its context and offers a new reading of the text. More than just a critique of existing taboo theories, as it has often been seen, this study offers a profound analysis of danger behavior and pollution in "non-civilized" societies. This provided an important starting-point for Mary Douglas' Purity and Danger. A key aspect of Steiner's achievement lies in his attempt to reconcile detailed, faithful ethnographic analysis with anthropological comparison. His analysis of taboo thus provides a case study with wide-ranging ramifications. This new edition makes a classic text available once again to students and general readers. A major new introduction based on archival research offers, for the first time, a biography and critical study of Franz Steiner; it not only places him in the context of British and European thought but also shows his importance for contemporary debates, among them deconstruction and Orientalism.

• Curatore: Jeremy Adler, Richard Fardon
• Editore: Berghahn Books, Incorporated
• Collana: Methodology & History in Anthropology
• Anno: 1999
• Rilegatura: Hardback
• Pagine: 304 p.
• Dimensioni: 216 x 140 mm
• Peso: 499 gr.
• EAN: 9781571817112

Testo in English