Description: Leading scholars analyze the importance and functioning of humor in different world religions.
Brief description: W. Van Herck is Assistant Professor at the Department of Philosophy and the Centre Pieter Gillis of the University of Antwerp, Belgium. He is the co-editor of Humour and Religion (2011) and The Sacred in the City (2012). He is editor in chief of Bijdragen, International Journal in Theology and Philosophy.
Review Quotes:
"There are... some excellent contributions such as Koenraad Elst's "Humour in Hinduism" which is rich in empirical detail and includes a discussion of the mockery of and satires on Hinduism and of Sikhs and Brahmins." --Journal of Contemporary Religion, Vol. 27, No. 1
"A welcome gift to philosophers, theologians and religious scientists alike." --Lieven Boeve, The Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. "Religion has many a times been perceived as a somber affair. Many traditions advocate donning a serious face during religious observances. What is the relation between humour and religion? This book makes an attempt to answer this question through a careful study of various religious traditions like Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and even some religious literature and plays. This anthology is divided into two parts: religious laughter and laughing at religion. Caricature of religion through cartoons and the consequent politics is also examined through an analysis of Greek history. That guilelessness and simplicity are core spiritual values and spirituality has a close connection with humour is well established through this work." --Prabuddha Bharata