RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY

July 2021 • 75 mono illus 264 pages • 234 x 156mm 9781350138308 Bloomsbury Academic Series: Bloomsbury Studies in Material Religion

November 2021 • 224 pages 234 x 153mm • 9781441178022 Bloomsbury Continuum

December 2021 • 224 pages 198 x 129mm • 9781472984197 Bloomsbury Continuum

January 2022 • 272 pages 216 x 135mm • 9781472979476 Bloomsbury Continuum

Islam through Objects

Edited by Anna Bigelow

Explores the regional, theological, and sectarian diversity of Islam through the stories of particular objects of daily use and engagement by Muslims.

With contributions from leading Islamic Studies scholars across disciplines, this book broadens the scope of current analysis to illuminate how objects of everyday practice shape Muslims' experiences and conceptualizations of their faith. Each chapter focuses on a single object in daily use by Muslims, exploring the regional, theological and sectarian diversity of Islam. Including colour illustrations, this collection brings a new methodological lens to the study of Islam, which until recently has primarily focused on texts. Anna Bigelow is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Stanford University, USA.

The Spirit of Catholicism

Vivian Boland OP

An echo of Karl Adam’s classic work The Spirit of Catholicism, for our times.

Vivian Boland stresses the social, embodied character of Catholicism, crucial for understanding its particular form as well as what it offers to contemporary social and political challenges. The body of Christ in the world is the community of those who believe in him and who, living by his Spirit, seek to witness to the fraternity, to the social friendship, which the world so keenly needs. Paradoxically, such embodiment is the spirit of Catholicism. Vivian Boland OP is Professor Aggregatus in the Faculty of Theology at the Angelicum University in Rome.

Hope and the Nearness of God

The 2022 Lent Book Teresa White

A reflection on the meaning and quality of hope for the period of Lent and beyond.

Teresa White argues that hope is central to the meaning of Lent, and Easter. Hope, which is quite different from optimism, is the most precious spiritual gift. Hope is the realistic way of perceiving the scope of our real human possibilities. It implies courage and patience, accepting the things that we cannot change and living constructively. It is an entirely original approach to Lent. Sister Teresa White FCJ is a member of a Roman Catholic order of nuns involved in education and social work.

Entering the Twofold Mystery

On Christian Conversion Erik Varden

Following on from his book The Shattering of Loneliness, Erik Varden provides a glimpse of the value of a monastic life and a Christian calling in our troubled modern age.

Erik Varden, Trappist monk and now bishop, is sensitive to the growing interest in the monastic life in these hard times of pandemic, uncertainty, and political turbulence. He invites us to observe and learn from this life. After a personal introduction, Varden follows the Church year and seasons, always inspired by scriptural reading. The tone of the book is set in a quotation from St Bernard: 'Be whole and so be happy'. Erik Varden is a monk and bishop. Before entering Mount Saint Bernard Abbey, he was a Fellow of St John’s College, Cambridge.

Towards a Politics of Communion

Catholic Social Teaching in Dark Times Anna Rowlands

Explores Catholic Social Teaching in terms of its background, context, and its main content.

This is an accessible guide to the main periods, key figures, documents and themes of thinking developed as Catholic Social Teaching (CST). It builds an overview of its central principles, with case studies that relate to contemporary social policy themes. The volume is an incisive overview of this distinctive body of Catholic political theology, and a new and challenging contribution to the debate about the transformative potential of CST in contemporary society. Anna Rowlands is a political, moral and practical theologian based at King's College, London, UK.

December 2021 • 288 pages 216 x 138mm • 9780567242730 T&T Clark

Discourse and Ideology

A Critique of the Study of Culture Craig Martin

Provides a theory of discourse and ideology that can be used to study religion as well as other aspects of culture, including race and gender.

Craig Martin outlines a theory of discourse, ideology, and domination that will enable scholars and students to understand these central elements in the study of culture, whether religion, gender, race, or other critical categories for analysis. He provides a clear presentation of how poststructuralist approaches can be applied to the study of religion as well as other aspects of culture. Craig Martin is Professor of Religious Studies at St. Thomas Aquinas College, USA.

An Introduction to Engaged Buddhism

Paul Fuller

Introduces and explores the ideas, practices, and philosophy of the movement of engaged Buddhism.

This textbook outlines the origins and principles of Engaged Buddhism for undergraduates. It provides a comprehensive analysis of the central themes and issues of the movement, offering new insights into the formation of modern Buddhism. The book uses case studies and examples from a range of locations to explore issues such as politics, gender, environmentalism, identity, blasphemy and violence. Discussion points and suggested further reading are included to enrich understanding. Paul Fuller is Teaching Fellow in Buddhist Studies at the University of Edinburgh, UK.

A Pilgrimage of Paradoxes

A Backpacker’s Encounters with God and Nature Mark Clavier

Uses reflection in nature to examine a series of paradoxes that lie at the heart of Christian faith.

Employing a firsthand account of an overnight trek on a Welsh mountain, Mark Clavier examines a series of paradoxes that lie at the heart of Christian faith: eternity and time, silence and words, and wonder and the commonplace. The book ranges widely through history, folklore, poetry, philosophy, and theology to explore how these paradoxes offer a sacramental and ecological perspective on belonging. Mark Clavier is the Residentiary Canon of Brecon Cathedral, UK, and chair of the Standing Doctrinal Commission for the Church in Wales, UK.

December 2021 • 296 pages 234 x 156mm • 9781350246287 Bloomsbury Academic

September 2021 • 20 mono illus 240 pages • 234 x 156mm 9781350129061 Bloomsbury Academic

December 2021 • 208 pages 216 x 138mm • 9780567703569 T&T Clark