Religions of Asia

The course will firstly introduce students to the major religions of Asia, including Hinduism and Buddhism in South Asia, Buddhism in Southeast Asia, Confucianism and Taoism in China, Shintoism and Buddhism in Japan, Tibetan Buddhism in Central Asia, Sikhism, Islam in South and Souththeast Asia, Asian Christianity, Jainism, folk religions and shamanic traditions, religious syncretism and popular religion etc.
We will provide an overview of the historical, cultural and social context in which these religions developed, their core beliefs and practices, and their impact on contemporary societies. We will also examine the diversity of religious practices within these traditions and the processes through which these practices have evolved over time.
The course will then examine the question of how religion has been shaping the cultures and societies of Asia. Drawing on anthropological theories and methodologies, we will explore the diversity of religious beliefs and practices and on selected cases analyze the ways in which religion intersects with other aspects of social life, such as politics, economy, identity, gender and sexuality, ethnicity, social change etc. We will also examine the question of how religions of Asia respond to the challenges of globalization and modernization, relation between religion and nationalism, Religious minorities and discrimination, Religion and conflicts etc.
Key beliefs and practices; the caste system, dharma; karma; reincarnation; Hindu deities and worship; the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and meditation; Buddhist schools and traditions; Jain philosophy and ethics (non-violence doctrine); the pursuit of enlightenment; Tao; Yin and Yang; the importance of nature; Confucian filial piety; Shinto animism; ancestor worship; purification rituals; the importance of the Guru Granth Sahib; the concept of seva; the plurality of religions; the importance of religious tolerance and mutual understanding.

Breen John in Mark Teeuwen, 2010, A New History of Shinto. Chichester: Wiley Blackwell.
Gellner, David N., 2001, The Anthropology of Buddhism and Hinduism: Weberian Themes. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Gombrich, Richard in Gananath Obeyesekere, 1990 (1988), Buddhism Transformed. Religious Change in Sri Lanka. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers.
Lopez, Jr., Donald S. (ur.), 1999, Asian Religions in Practice: An Introduction. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Muray, Leaf J., 2014, The Antrhopology of Eastern Religions: Ideas, Organizations, and Constituencies. Lanham, Boulder, New York in London: Lexington Books. http://nukweb.nuk.uni-lj.si/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/logi…
Nadeau, Randall L., 2014, Asian Religions: A Cultural Perspective. Malden, Oxford in Chichester: Wiley Blackwell. [COBISS.SI-ID-19164725]
Obeyesekere, Gananth, 2023, Meduzini lasje: Esej o osebnih simbolih in verskih doživetjih. Ljubljana: Založba *cf. [COBISS.SI-ID 138054915]
Schipper, Kristofer, 1993, The Taoist Body. Berkeley, Los Angeles in London: University of California Press. [COBISS.SI-ID 71576162]
Straton Hawley, John in Vasudha Narayan (ur.), 2006, The Life of Hinduism. Berkeley, Los Angeles in London: University of California Press. http://nukweb.nuk.uni-lj.si/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/logi…
Šmitek, Zmago, 2016, Mandale: Tajni vrtovi razsvetljenja, Ljubljana: Beletrina. [COBISS.SI-ID 285741568]