Asia, Modernity, and the Pursuit of the Sacred examines a large number of Europeans who, disillusioned with western culture and religion after World War I, and anticipating the spiritual seekers of the counterculture, turned to the religious traditions of Asia for inspiration.

This book provides a unique and Creative thesis about which scholars of Asia would do well to think critically in their studies of religion and culture and in reconsidering their methodologies. I imagine a broad audience would find it inaccessible. Therefore this book is recommended for Asian studies and religious studies scholars interested in the theoretical questions relevant to their disciplines. (Brooke Schedneck, SOJOURN - Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia, Vol. 32 (1), February, 2017)

Autorentext
Joel S. Kahn is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at La Trobe University, Australia, and a Professorial Fellow (Honorary) at the Asia Institute, The University of Melbourne, Australia.

Inhalt

1. Anthropology and the Limits of Secular Reason
2. Gnosticism and the Pursuit of the Sacred
3. Traditionalism: a Dialectic of Authenticity
4. Gnostics, Religion and the (Mis)Recognition of Modernity
5. Modern Mystics: Towards a Gnostic Science
6. The Inner Journey of the Gnostic Self: Ethics and Politics
7. Other Worlds or Ours? Sacred/Secular/Gnostic/Modern
8. What if Culture Didn't Matter? Asian Studies and the New Universalism(s)