Asia, Modernity, and the Pursuit of the Sacred

Joel S. Kahn is Emeritus Professor of Anthropology at La Trobe University, Australia, and a Professorial Fellow (Honorary) at the Asia Institute, The University of Melbourne, Australia.

“This book provides a unique and Creative thesis about which scholars of Asia would do well to think critically in their studies of religion and culture and in reconsidering their methodologies. … I imagine a broad audience would find it inaccessible. Therefore this book is recommended for Asian studies and religious studies scholars interested in the theoretical questions relevant to their disciplines.” (Brooke Schedneck, SOJOURN - Journal of Social Issues in Southeast Asia, Vol. 32 (1), February, 2017)

• 1. Anthropology and the Limits of Secular Reason 2. Gnosticism and the Pursuit of the Sacred 3. Traditionalism: a Dialectic of Authenticity 4. Gnostics, Religion and the (Mis)Recognition of Modernity 5. Modern Mystics: Towards a Gnostic Science 6. The Inner Journey of the Gnostic Self: Ethics and Politics 7. Other Worlds or Ours? Sacred/Secular/Gnostic/Modern 8. What if Culture Didn't Matter? Asian Studies and the New Universalism(s)