Accessibly, clearly, firmly, and kindly written, this book reliably introduces students to the history of the study of religion, focusing on its most defining approaches and controversies and highlighting the difference between 'insider' knowledge of religion(s) and 'outsider' study of religion... This book is a fine introduction to the study of religion that manages at the same time to be ... Read morean important intervention in how that study is widely practiced. - Willi Braun, University of Alberta, Canada This book will help orient undergraduates to the field of Religious Studies, and will be a handy reference for graduate students and scholars of religion. - E. Ann Matter, University of Pennsylvania, USA Rodrigues and Harding provide a critical overview of various approaches to the study of religion, past and present, that is insightful as it is accessible. This still largely undefined field would benefit greatly from its wider adoption in its undergraduate (and graduate) courses of study. - Luther H. Martin, University of Vermont, USA Show Less