Religion and Poverty: Studies in Histories, Cultures, and Societies 02/2015 (Global Humanities)

The biannual and peer-reviewed journal Global Humanities: Studies in Histories, Cultures, and Societies has been developed to discuss topics of a global and transnational range from an interdisciplinary perspective, providing a forum for like-minded scholars to present their recent research. The aim of the journal is to discuss historical, cultural, social, and economic topics from a wider and more global perspective and, thus, to underline the deeper meanings and reasons for global processes, which have become increasingly dominant in our world. Nowadays, religions are especially important for those who are living in countries of the formerly so-called 'Third World.' Consequently, especially in the 21st century, there seems to be a close connection between religion and poverty, when the hope for a better afterlife has become a driving force for poor populations of the world. However, what could be interpreted as a proof of the Marxist doctrine of religion as opium of the people assuredly deserves a more multi-perspectival approach which would not just cover the recent years of human history, but past centuries, as well as the different religions around the globe. This second issue of Global Humanities: Studies in Histories, Cultures, and Societies traces the interrelationship between religion and poverty, not only from a historical perspective, but also from a religious perspective. The depiction of this interrelationship in literature and art is addressed as well. Along with other topics, the volume examines the Daoist popular practice of money burning, social interpretations of the Jewish bible, and the interrelationship between religious adherence and economic status in Muslim countries. *** Librarians: ebook available on ProQuest and EBSCO (Series: Global Humanities. Studies in Histories, Cultures and Societies - Vol. 02/2015) [Subject: Social History, Poverty Studies, Religious Studies]