​The book discusses the theoretical and methodological challenges of an interculturally valid sociology of religion and provides insights into the autochthonous socio-religious research in Muslim societies and Asian countries. In this way, it links discourses that have so far taken place primarily independently of one another. The book goes back to a conference in Münster that questioned the Western foundation of empirical religiosity research, which reaches its limits in the non-American and non-European context, but also with regard to orthodox forms of faith in the Western context.

This book pays critical homage to the eminent comparatist of Chinese and Western literature and religion, Anthony C. Yu of The University of Chicago. Broadly comparative, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary in scope, the volume consists of an introductory essay on Yu's scholarly career, and thirteen additional essays on topics such as literary texts and traditions of varying provenance and periods, ranging from ancient Greece, medieval Europe, and nineteenth- and twentieth-century England and America, to China from the classical to modern periods. The disciplines and areas of research that the essays draw into constructive engagement with one another include comparative literature, religion and literature, history of religions, (or comparative religion), religion and social thought, and the study of myth. Eric Ziolkowski is Professor and Head of the Department of Religious Studies at Lafayette College.

Mindfulness, yoga, Tantra, Zen, martial arts, karma, feng shui, Ayurveda. Eastern ideas and practices associated with Asian religions and spirituality have been accommodated to a global setting as both a spiritual/religious and a broader cultural phenomenon. ‘Eastern spirituality’ is present in organized religions, the spiritual New Age market, arts, literature, media, therapy, and health care but also in public institutions such as schools and prisons. Eastspirit: Transnational Spirituality and Religious Circulation in East and West describes and analyses such concepts, practices and traditions in their new ‘Western’ and global contexts as well as in their transformed expressions and reappropriations in religious traditions and individualized spiritualities ‘back in the East’ within the framework of mutual interaction and circulation, regionally and globally.

In the belief that all the great religions have similarities that confirm and differences that enrich peoples’ spiritual outlook on the world, the editors inaugurated a series which they hoped would bring out the essential tenets of religion in what they perceived to be an age of doubt. The series was originally published in the 1950s and consisted of three kinds of books: translations of imaginative, devotional and philosophic works, with an introduction or commentary; reproductions of masterpieces of religious art; and background books showing the environment in which this literature and art arose and developed. The books overlap each other: Both Eastern and Western religious art often illustrates a religious text and many of the books seek the common ground in their cultural view of religion or philosophy.

The religious traditions of Asia and Europe, the 'East' and 'West' of the title, are sometimes regarded as being in sharp contrast with each other, the one 'mystical', the other 'prophetic'. Whenever their religions are not so contrasted they are usually treated in isolation from each other: the religion of Israel, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. Dr Ling, however, stresses that there is considerable overlap and interpenetration between the two types and areas, and that it is important to see the historical inter-relation between these religions and to observe how, during given periods of history, there are parallel developments or significant divergences. He covers the period 1500 B.C. to the present time, providing an outline of the development of Asian and European religious traditions and institutions, and discussing the social and economic factors involved in the development of religous traditions, although he shows that such factors alone do not account for the religious life of man. Dr Ling goes on to interpret the contemporary significance of these religions and their potential for the future life of humanity. He suggests that the present stage of religious advance is characterised by open-endedness towards the future; not all religions exhibit this character, but none has yet exhausted the possibilities of development. This book is intended for use an an introduction to the study of religion. Although reference is made in the text to sources of further information, the book can be used without reference to them.

Offers a summary account of the history of philosophical thought through the 19th century, an unusually updated and balanced account of 20th century thought, and lengthy chapters on the history of Chinese and Indian thought. Selected by Choice as an Outstanding Academic Book of 1988-1989.

The 22 essays in this volume discuss contemporary trends in democratization, nationalism, political socialization, authoritarianism, and other topics such as conflicting loyalties in Europe and the US. Since there are seven different countries represented among the authors who have contributed to this volume, they have produced a unique, international, comparative and cross-national research perspective on significant issues in contemporary politics, socialization, and education. This book provides an interesting collection of empirical research findings and scholarly syntheses of quantitative and qualitative research efforts. Major emphasis in these studies is on the impact of socialization forces and political socialization of youth from various sources. Some research studies are quasi-longitudinal, treating different regions in Europe, and emphasizing significant themes such as racism, intolerance, xenophobia, the European Union, and democratic political philosophy and citizenship.

This edited book opens a dialogue on theories and philosophies of education between the East and the West in the era of globalisation. A great deal of research has been devoted to discussion of the ideas of Western theorists such as Plato, Aristotle, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Fröbel, Herbert, Dewey, Piaget, and so on, and their thoughts have had a tremendous impact on Japanese educational practices. In addition, the 21st-century society has promoted international academic standardisation of knowledge, skills, and competencies for a knowledge-based economy, making great strides in educational development for globalisation. On the other hand, East Asia has retained its own unique insights and perspectives that cannot entirely be understood by Western philosophies of education alone. The contributors to this volume offer the reader insights into how Japanese and East Asian theories and philosophies of education encounter those from the West, by taking up heated and controversial issues such as education of caring, morality, nature, catastrophe, body and cultivation, art, language, politics, democracy, and modernity. The book will appeal to researchers, teachers, students, policymakers, and anyone interested in the theory and philosophy of education in the East, or those who would like to reconsider education in a multicultural society.

This volume explores Western attitudes towards the phenomenon of Easternization, drawing upon Eastern perspectives and examining the impact upon contemporary culture to argue that Easternization is another type of globalization.