Virtuosity, Charisma and Social Order: A Comparative Sociological Study of Monasticism in Theravada Buddhism and Medieval Catholicism (Cambridge Cultural Social Studies)

By Ilana Friedrich Silber and Ilana Friedrich-Silber

Book Overview

This book is a comparative macrosociological study of the interaction between religious virtuosi and society in two civilizations: traditional Theravada Buddhism and Medieval Catholicism. Merging Weberian sociology with the Maussian tradition of gift-analysis, and criticizing the neglect of meaning in current comparative historical sociology, the author also argues the need for a multidimensional approach capable of addressing the part played by religious orientations in shaping the institutional strength and ideological power of religious elites in the historical framework of the Great Traditions.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521021375
• ISBN13: 9780521021371
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"