Religious Architecture: Anthropological Perspectives

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Oskar Verkaaik
Amsterdam University Press, 2013 - Architecture - 213 pages
Religious Architecture : Anthropological Perspectives develops new anthropological perspectives on religious architecture, including mosques, churches, temples and synagogues. Borrowing from a range of theoretical perspectives on space-making and material religion, this volume looks at how religious buildings take their place in opposition to the secular surroundings and the neoliberal city; how they, as evocations of the sublime, help believers to move beyond the boundaries of modern subjectivity; and how international heritage status may conflict with their function as community centres. The volume includes contributions from a range of anthropologists, social historians, and architects working in Brazil, India, Italy, Mali, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, and the UK.

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About the author (2013)

Oskar Verkaaik is associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam and the author of Migrants and Militants: "Fun" and Urban Violence in Pakistan.

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