3. The Magus: Jonathan Z. Smith and “the Absolute Wonder of the Human Imagination” (AAR Panel)
Remembering J. Z. Smith - A Career and its Consequence - Emily D. Crews
Kimberley C. Patton [+ ]
Harvard University
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Kimberley C. Patton is Professor of the Comparative and Historical Study of Religion at Harvard Divinity School. Her research is in ancient Greek religion and archaeology, particularly ritual studies, sanctuaries, and iconography.
Description
Seeing Jonathan Z. Smith as a champion of incongruity in the study of religion, and one who engaged the thought of those with whom he disagreed, Patton explores the implications of Smith’s work for those interested in portraying rather than explaining in the study of religion, thereby focusing on the mythmaking and world-building function of religion.