Exercices dâhistoire des religions is a collection of the most important articles published by Philippe Borgeaud during his career as the professor of history of religions at the University of Geneva (Switzerland). These nineteen studies showcase the many reflections of the Swiss scholar of religion on the categories and tools used to describe and compare such evanescent concepts as âreligionsâ, âmythsâ and âritualsâ, and his methodology for a critical and comparative study of ancient and modern religions. Through them, readers will gain a clear understanding of the importance such an approach can wield in the contemporary discussions and dissents about religions.
"It is impossible to do justice to the wealth of details and acumen in Borgeaudâs nineteen studies in the space of this review. Written with stylistic elegance, immense erudition, discrete humor and graceful gentleness â even when categorically refuting obsolete positions in the study of religion â Borgeaudâs Exercices encapsulate the professional and, at times, emotional trajectory of a mature historian of religion, constantly preoccupied with shaping the tools of his own trade and enlarging its borders at the same time." - Eduard Iricinschi, Ruhr University Bochum, in: Emotions: History, Culture, Society 1:1
All interested in the comparative study of religion, the history and anthropology of religions, the historiography of religious studies and the religions and mythologies of the ancient Mediterranean.