Publisher's Synopsis
Mircea Eliade (1907-1986), well-known as the author of A History of Religious Ideas (3 volumes, originally published in French in 1976-1983), and as the editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of Religion (1987), was one of the most important and influential scholars on religion in the latter half of the twentieth century. In the past twenty years or so after his death, he has been criticized on a theoretical level for his unclear methodology and heavy dependence on his existential agenda as a critic of the contemporary Western culture. On a political level he has been criticized for his commitment to the interwar Romanian fascist movement known as the Iron Guard, and also his concealment of this past political involvement. In light of all these criticisms, current scholars on religion are now invited to pursue critical reflection on the scholarly legacy of this encyclopedic historian of religions. Eliade on Religion is an attempt to pursue this critical reflection by going back to the philosophical backdrop of Eliades thought and works, examine the theoretical development of his scholarly achievements on religion, and summarize the criticisms against his works. This book will try to reach a balanced understanding of Eliades study on religion through these studies from several angles, avoiding both hagiographic repetition of his mesmerizing terms such as the sacred and the profane, and the other extreme of ignoring Eliade by wanting to dispense with all his contributions.
