5. Monastic and mystical Christianity
Linda Woodhead
in Christianity: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
‘Monastic and mystical Christianity’ looks at the development of a form of Christianity that locates authority in the spiritual experience of each individual. Mystical Christianity focuses ...
More
Orthodox Christianity: A Very Short Introduction
A. Edward Siecienski
To many in the West, Orthodoxy remains shrouded in mystery, an exotic and foreign religion that survived in the East following the Great Schism of 1054 that split the Christian world into ...
More
4. Church and biblical Christianity
Linda Woodhead
in Christianity: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
What is meant by ‘Church Christianity’ and ‘Biblical Christianity’ and where do they come from? ‘Church and Biblical Christianity’ explains that ‘Church Christianity’ is centred around the ...
More
Pilgrimage: A Very Short Introduction
Ian Reader
Pilgrimage is found in most religious cultures and pilgrimage sites around the world—including Mecca in Saudi Arabia, Lourdes in France, and Shikoku in Japan—attract millions of pilgrims ...
More
1. Pilgrimage around the world
Ian Reader
in Pilgrimage: A Very Short Introduction
Pilgrimage is a global human phenomenon spanning cultures, religions, and continents. Some pilgrimage centres attract millions of pilgrims each year creating an important ‘spiritual ...
More
2. Forms, themes, and meanings
Ian Reader
in Pilgrimage: A Very Short Introduction
‘Forms, themes, and meanings’ considers what is meant by ‘pilgrimage’. Pilgrimage incorporates three main elements: travel and movement; veneration in some form; and a special place or ...
More
3. More than miracles
Ian Reader
in Pilgrimage: A Very Short Introduction
While miraculous tales, apparitions, associations with religious leaders, the claimed presence of deities, and striking geographical features may all be important elements in pilgrimage, ...
More
5. Festivity, tourism, and souvenirs
Ian Reader
in Pilgrimage: A Very Short Introduction
‘Festivity, tourism, and souvenirs’ describes the elements that are often woven into pilgrimage structures: celebration, entertainment, holidays, markets, and shopping. The scope ...
More
Modern Italy: A Very Short Introduction
Anna Cento Bull
Modern Italy: A Very Short Introduction addresses the question of what modernity means to Italy and explores the extent to which modernity still represents a shared vision ...
More
Introduction
Anna Cento Bull
in Modern Italy: A Very Short Introduction
The ‘Introduction’ outlines the aims of this volume. It explores the country’s difficulties in developing and disseminating strong and credible national visions for a domestic and ...
More
4. Christianity and the Rise of the Individual
Kenneth Minogue
in Politics: A Very Short Introduction
‘Christianity and the Rise of the Individual’ examines the politics of the Middle Ages and the spread of Christianity. Three elements out of which civilization of the high Middle Ages was ...
More
The Spanish Civil War: A Very Short Introduction
Helen Graham
The Spanish Civil War: Very Short Introduction offers an explanation of the war's origins and course, explores its impact on a personal and international scale, and provides an ...
More
2. Rebellion, revolution, and repression
Helen Graham
in The Spanish Civil War: A Very Short Introduction
The military coup against the Spanish Republic started in Spanish North Africa (Morocco) on 17 July 1936 and a day later spread to the mainland of Spain in the form of provincial garrison ...
More
2. History with a purpose
Peter Singer
in Hegel: A Very Short Introduction
‘History with a purpose’ looks at Hegel's thoughts about the function of history in the world. Hegel took history seriously. He agreed with Friedrich Schiller that the very foundations of ...
More
Conclusion
Eddie S. Glaude
in African American Religion: A Very Short Introduction
African Americans are generally more religious than other groups in the United States. But African American religion is much more than a description of how deeply religious African ...
More
4. Practices, motives, and experiences
Ian Reader
in Pilgrimage: A Very Short Introduction
‘Practices, motives, and experiences’ considers why people undertake pilgrimages, the ways that they shape and perform them, and how the journeys affect them. It shows that pilgrimage is ...
More
6. Secular sites and contemporary developments
Ian Reader
in Pilgrimage: A Very Short Introduction
If pilgrimage is found almost universally across religious traditions, it has also, in modern contexts, become widely associated with places that have no specific religious affiliations or ...
More
4. The sacraments and the Catholic Church
Gerald O’Collins
in Catholicism: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
‘The sacraments and the Catholic Church’ traces the origins, history, and significance of the seven sacraments. Baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, penance, the anointing of the sick, ...
More
2. Alternative projects of nationhood
Anna Cento Bull
in Modern Italy: A Very Short Introduction
After the First World War, the country was torn apart by competing visions of what modern Italy should stand for and which values should bind Italians together. Against a background of high ...
More
1. Modernity and resurgence in the making of Italy
Anna Cento Bull
in Modern Italy: A Very Short Introduction
‘Modernity and resurgence in the making of Italy’ explains that the history of modern Italy has been characterized by recurrent cultural and political projects of modernity, rejuvenation, ...
More
