The Textbook Academic Religious Studies in the Context of Professional Contemporary Ukrainian Study of Religion

Abstract

Abstract. This essay is dedicated to the 25^th anniversary of the textbook Academic Religious Studies, which has been a seminal text for professional education in the academic study of religion in Ukraine. The textbook has seen continued use at the university level for generations of students at the undergraduate, graduate and PhD levels. The author examines his own experience with encountering the textbook, first as an undergraduate student, and eventually as a professor in order to explore the range of topics explored by the textbook and provide a critical analysis of its structure, intending for the critique to be useful in developing the analytical perspectives presented in the textbook and sparking a discussion about the quality of its chapters and potential avenues of updating them to contemporary standards. The author of this essay argues that such an update would stimulate theoretical thinking and practical skills in students.