Anthropology and Theology

J. Derrick Lemons

LAST REVIEWED: 23 APRIL 2021

LAST MODIFIED: 22 FEBRUARY 2018
DOI: 10.1093/OBO/9780199766567-0185

Introduction

The anthropologies of Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, and Buddhism have inherent theologies that need to be uncovered in
order to more deeply understand each faith tradition (see Howell, et al. 2016, cited under Theologically Engaged Anthropology).
However, the contested relationship between anthropology and theology throughout most of the history of anthropology is well
documented and has limited engagement with theology. The Slain God: Anthropologists and the Christian Faith (Larsen 2014, cited
under Theologically Engaged Anthropology) offers a biographical history of E. B. Tylor, James Frazer, E. E. Evans-Pritchard, Mary
Douglas, and Victor and Edith Turner that uncovers this complicated relationship. The positivistic and empiricist assumptions of Tylor
and Frazer led to a marginalization of theology as an appropriate collaborative discipline. However, the openness of Evans-Pritchard,
Douglas, and the Turners allowed theology and their personal faith to influence their anthropological theories. This resulted in the
emergence of creative anthropological theories. While the history of engagement between anthropology and theology is complicated,
anthropologists and theologians are now rethinking the possibilities of theology and anthropology reengaging and are well on their way
to forging new paths for a theologically engaged anthropology. Examples can be found at three research centers dedicated to bringing
together anthropologists and theologians to work collaboratively. First, the Center for Theologically Engaged Anthropology at the
University of Georgia is dedicated to answering the question, “What can theology contribute to cultural anthropology?”—without
forgetting the equally important question, “What can anthropology contribute to theology?” Second, the On Knowing Humanity
Research Center at Eastern University in Pennsylvania creates a space for Christian anthropologists to share their insights through the
eyes of faith. Third, the Center for Theology, Science and Human Flourishing at the University of Notre Dame places a major focus on
pairing theologians with evolutionary anthropologists in order to stimulate new areas of research. The work of these centers and a
growing body of literature suggests that the time is right for a reengagement between theology and anthropology.

General Overviews

The addition of anthropology and theology to the Oxford Bibliographies in Anthropology is due in part to the foundation of the
bibliographies dedicated to “Missionization,” “Anthropology of Islam,” and “Anthropology of Christianity.” Each of these foundational
bibliographies provides excellent background reading for scholars interested in anthropology and theology. The “Missionization”
bibliography provides information about the longest-standing collaboration between anthropologists and theologians. The “Anthropology
of Islam” bibliography explains the importance of Talal Asad’s work to problematize the separation of theology (scriptural Islam) and
anthropology (lived Islam). The “Anthropology of Christianity” bibliography connects the importance of the work of Asad which
problematized the secular underpinnings of anthropology and provides a primary link to the demand for a theologically engaged
anthropology. A thorough reading of these three bibliographies reveals significant overlaps with anthropology and theology. Therefore,
this “Anthropology and Theology” bibliography will primarily offer annotations for books and articles not found in the bibliographies
dedicated to missionization, Islam, and Christianity. Wason 2017 highlights the importance of a deep understanding of culture.
Anthropology and Theology (Davies 2002) is an early book that considers the topic of anthropology and theology. However, the seminal
paper that provoked many anthropologists to think about the possibilities of a collaboration between anthropology and theology is
“Anthropology and Theology: An Awkward Relationship?” (Robbins 2006). This article engages with Milbank 2006, questions the
marginalization of theology by anthropologists, and develops a preliminary outline for anthropologists to engage with theology. Milbank
suggests that through an engagement with theology, an anthropologist can discover and understand the influence of theology on
anthropological thought, can use theological discourse to reveal clues about important cultural shifts in religion, and can use theology
as an inspiration to find “hope for real change” in the world. Inspired by Robbins’s article, a special journal issue titled Anthropological
Theologies: Engagements and Encounters (Fountain and Lau 2013) argues that theology must be taken seriously to uncover new
anthropological insights. Additionally, an article titled “Engaging the Religiously Committed Other: Anthropologists and Theologians in
Dialogue” (Meneses, et al. 2014) uses the problem of violence as an illustration of the need for Christian anthropologists to speak
within scholarly circles. Over the course of twenty chapters, anthropologists and theologians provide two theoretical frameworks with
ethnographic examples that deepen the engagement between anthropology and theology. More generally, two issues of Practical
Matters (Martin and Whitmore 2010) dedicated to ethnography and religion reveal a rigorous research collaboration between the social
sciences and theology.

Davies, Douglas J. 2002. Anthropology and theology. Oxford: Berg.

An innovative study that uses common anthropological and theological topics to create a dialogue between these disciplines and
demonstrates the ways anthropology and theology can enrich each other.

Fountain, Philip, and Sin Wen Lau, eds. 2013. Special issue: Anthropological theologies: Engagements and encounters.
Australian Journal of Anthropology 24.3.
An investigation on anthropological theologies that ultimately calls for an anthropology that is open to provisional, dialogic, and
potentially transformative interactions across diverse theologies, and suggests that such a move will help shed light on the possibilities
of remodeling the practice of anthropology.

Martin, Lerone, and Luke Whitmore, eds. 2010. Special journal: Ethnography and theology. Practical Matters: A Journal of
Religious Practices and Practical Theology 3.
A special journal issue dedicated to highlighting the transformative potential of an intersected approach to ethnography and theology.

Meneses, Eloise, Lindy Backues, David Bronkema, Eric Flett, and Benjamin L. Hartley. 2014. Engaging the religiously
committed other: Anthropologists and theologians in dialogue. Current Anthropology 55.1: 82–104.
A critique of the marginalization of Christian anthropologists that uses the problem of violence as an example of the need for a Christian
anthropology.

Merz, Johannes, and Sharon Merz. 2017. Occupying the ontological penumbra: Towards a postsecular and theologically
minded anthropology. Religions 8.5: 1–17.
An important article that argues for a space for anthropologists and theologians to seriously consider the real possibility of the existence
of gods, spirits, and other nonhuman entities.

Milbank, John. 2006. Theology and social theory: Beyond secular reason. Oxford: Blackwell.
A masterpiece that offers a theological critique of the secular underpinnings of the social sciences, and suggests that the social
sciences undermine theological enquiry. This book inspired Joel Robbins to write about the awkward relationship between anthropology
and theology (see Robbins 2006).

Robbins, Joel. 2006. Anthropology and theology: An awkward relationship? Anthropological Quarterly 79.2: 285–294.
The seminal article that inspired anthropologists to consider a reengagement with theology.

Tomlinson, Matt. 2017. Christian difference: A review essay. Comparative Studies in Society and History 59.3: 1–11.
An important synthesis discussing how a theologically engaged anthropology can better understand the difference that Christianity
makes in society.
Wason, Paul. 2017. The difference culture makes. On Knowing Humanity Journal 1.1: 14–24.
An article that evaluates the concept of culture and suggests that using culture as an intellectual tool will reinvigorate research in
anthropology and theology.

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