This book provides a comprehensive examination of the study of religions in Sweden, from the early twentieth century to the present and shows how the intersection of national and social forces shape the study of religion in specific countries and contexts. It traces the establishment of the study of religions as an integrated part of Higher Education in Sweden and it critically examines the development of the most significant disciplines, themes and questions that form Religious Studies in Sweden.

Demonstrating the interconnection between nationality and the formation of the academic study of religion, the book explores how Sweden is often described as the most secularised country in the world, yet the study of religions in Sweden has a long, rich, and diverse history. The book emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of the study of religions, and bring together the voices of 30 scholars.

Henrik Bogdan is Professor in History of Religions at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Göran Larsson is Professor in the Study of Religions at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

List of Figures
List of Contributors
Introduction: The History of the Study of Religion in Sweden, Göran Larsson & Henrik Bogdan
Göran Larsson (University of Gothenburg, Sweden) and Henrik Bogdan (University of Gothenburg, Sweden)
Part I: Historical Approaches
1. Ancient Near Eastern Religions, Therese Rodin (Dalarna University, Sweden) and Heike Peter (Halmstad University, Sweden)
2. Old Norse Religion, Olof Sundqvist (Stockholm University, Sweden)
3. Indigenous Religions, Daniel Andersson (University of Gothenburg, Sweden) and Bodil Liljefors-Persson (Malmo University, Sweden)
4. Judaism, Svante Lundgren (Lund University, Sweden) and Martin Lund (Malmo University, Sweden)
5. Islam, Göran Larsson (Gothenburg University, Sweden), Susanne Olsson (Stockholm University, Sweden) and Simon Sorgenfrei (Södertörn University)
6. Indian Religions, Kristina Myrvold (Lund University, Sweden), Katarina Plank (Karlstad University, Sweden) and Ferdinando Sardella (Stockholm University)
7. Western Esotericism, Henrik Bogdan (University of Gothenburg, Sweden)
8. New Religious Movements and New Age Spirituality, Peter Åkerbäck (Stockholm University, Sweden) and Sanja Nilsson (Malmo University, Sweden)

Part II: Social Scientific Approaches
9. Psychology of Religion, Göran Ståhle (Södertörn University, Sweden) and Tomas LIndgren (Umeå University, Sweden
10. Sociology of Religion, Magdalena Nordin (University of Gothenburg, Sweden) and Mia Lövheim (Uppsala University, Sweden)
11. Cognitive Studies of Religion, Jonas Svensson (Linnaeus University, Sweden) and Egil Asprem (Stockholm University, Sweden)
12. Religious Education, Olof Frank (University of Gothenburg) and Christina Osbeck (University of Gothenburg)

Part III: Themes in the Study of Religion in Sweden
13.Comparative Studies ,Stefan Arvidsson (Linnaeus University) and Peter Jackson (Stockholm University, Sweden)
14. Ritual Studies, Anne-Christine Hornborg (Lund University, Sweden)
15. Lived Religion, Daniel Enstedt (University of Gothenburg, Sweden) Jessica Moberg (University of Gothenburg) and Katarina Plank (Karlstadt University, Sweden)
16. Gender Studies, Manon Hedenborg White (Karlstadt University, Sweden)
17. Violence, Tomas Lindgren (Umeå University, Sweden), Göran Larsson (University of Gothenburg) and Isak Svensson (Uppsala University, Sweden)

Afterword: Reflections on the Study of Religion in Sweden, Jenny Berglund (Stockholm University, Stockholm) and Tim Jensen(University of Southern Denmark, Denmark)

Index