Anthropology
Cults, Conspiracies and Political Religion
Module code: L6306S
Level 6
30 credits in spring semester
Teaching method: Workshop
Assessment modes: Essay
On this module, you will develop your understanding of the origins and consequences of religion and politics, looking at particular cases from around the world.
Topics include:
- religious Nationalism
- political Islam
- evangelicalism in US politics
- secret societies
- rumour, conspiracy, post-truth
- conspirituality
- cults and world-renunciation
- religion, rights and peace movements
- faith-based NGOs
- shared religious spaces.
Module learning outcomes
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of anthropological approaches to the intersection of religion and politics in contemporary societies
- Analyse/evaluate/assess critically the main theoretical debates in anthropology concerning the relationship between religion and politics, and demonstrate an awareness of how these debates have changed over time
- Relate theoretical arguments about religion and politics to specific ethnographic examples
- Demonstrate knowledge/understanding of a variety of contexts in which religion and politics intersect.