Playful Religion ─ Challenges for the Study of Religion

Playful Religion explores the concept of play as it appears within the rituals and practices of various religions from around the world, such as Latin American Pentecostalism and the African religion of Candomble. Despite the seriousness of the issues religion generally deals with, this book demonstrates that the idea of play is an essential part of religious life across cultures and throughout history. Making use of case studies that focus on contemporary religious choices, religious syncretism, and the fate of religion in Western Europe, Playful Religion is an in-depth look at the changing and highly imaginative face of global religion.

Andre Droogers is professor emeritus of cultural anthropology at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. Peter B. Clarke is professor emeritus of the history and sociology of religion at King’s College, University of London. Grace Davie is chair of the Sociology of Religion Department at the University of Exeter. Sidney M. Greenfield is professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Peter Versteeg is a post-doctoral research fellow at the Vrije Universiteit.