Legacy, Life and Work of Geo Widengren and the Study of the History of Religions after World War II

Göran Larsson, Ph.D., is Professor of Religious Studies and Deputy Dean in the Faculty of Humanities, University of Gothenburg. Larsson’s main research is on Islam and Muslims, but he has also published on religion and the media, global conflicts, violent extremism and security studies, theory and method, with leading international publishers like Brill, Routledge, Ashgate, Springer and Equinox . Contributors are Daniel Andersson, Giovanni Casadio, Clemens Cavallin, Göran Eidevall, Satoko Fujiwara, René Gothóni, Jan Hjärpe, Christer Hedin, Anders Hultgård, Tim Jensen, Albert de Jong, Einar Thomassen, Mihaela Timus, Chiara Ombretta Tommasi.

• Notes on Contributorspart 1: Thesis and International Work1 Geo Widengren: A Portrait of a Swedish Historian of ReligionsGöran Larsson2 Hebrew Laments in the Light of Mesopotamian MaterialGöran Eidevall3 Professor Geo Widengren, IAHR Vice-President 1950–1960, IAHR President 1960–1970, IAHR Honorary Life Member 1996Tim Jensen and Satoko Fujiwarapart 2: Iranian Cultures, Languages and Religions4 Geo Widengren and the Study of Iranian ReligionAnders Hultgård5 The Eclipse of Geo Widengren in the Study of Iranian ReligionsAlbert de Jong6 “King and Saviour”: Geo Widengren’s Early Contributions (1938–1955) to the History of Iranian ReligionsMihaela Timuşpart 3: A Phenomenological Approach7 Geo Widengren and Swedish Phenomenology of Religion versus Italian Comparative Historical TypologyGiovanni Casadio8 The World of Religion: A Reevaluation of Geo Widengren’s Phenomenology of ReligionClemens Cavallinpart 4: Method, Criticism and a Public Intellectual9 The Reception and Criticism of Geo Widengren in the Nordic Countries: The Debate over the Origin of ReligionRené Gothóni and Göran Larsson10 Before the Bible: Middle-Eastern Religions and the Origins of Christianity in the Works of Geo WidengrenChrister Hedin11 Tor Andræ and Geo Widengren: Perspectives and Purposes of the Study of the History of ReligionsJan Hjärpe12 Africa and America Revisited: A Critical Analysis of Widengren’s Comparative MethodDaniel AnderssonPart 5: Manichaeism and Gnosticism13 Widengren, Gnosticism, and the Religionsgeschichtliche SchuleEinar Thomassen14 Geo Widengren and ManichaeismChiara O. TommasiPart 6: Postscript15 Geo Widengren as Researcher and Public Intellectual: A Meta-ReflectionGöran LarssonAppendix A: Letters between Raffaele Pettazzoni and Geo Widengren (1948–1959)Appendix B: Letters between Helmer Ringgren, Geo Widengren and Ugo Bianchi (1959–1970)Geo Widengren’s BibliographyIndex