Probably no other phenomenon has captured the human imagination more than religion. The belief in supernatural
forces, or “beings”, is almost universal but has taken on different shades and meanings in different localities. The
purpose of this module is to explore various manifestations of religious phenomena around the globe and to
underline what anthropology has to offer to the study of religion. Attention is drawn in particular to the history of
the spread of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism across the globe and the concessions these world
religions have made to the local popular beliefs they have encountered in different societies and cultures.
