Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Religion, concept of
(821 words)

1. Principles

Definitions of “religion,” “religions,” and “religious” are far from straightforward; neither are they free from presuppositions. Much of the function of a definition depends on whether one is comparing (plural) religious traditions and putting them in historical contexts, or whether one is using “religion” as a single, “true” category [7]. Postcolonial criticism has clearly shown that allowing or denying the status of …

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Stuckrad, Kocku von, “Religion, concept of”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 07 June 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_026510>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20210107



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