Literature in our Collection
(A-L)

Charlesworth, Max (Hg.): Religious Business. Essays on Australian Aboriginal Spirituality, Cambridge University Press, 1998, ISBN 0521633524

Table of Contents        ¦         Cover Text        ¦         Review⁄Abstract

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations and Colour Plates -vi-

Contributors -vii-

Norman Habel:In Memory of Colin Badger -ix-

Max Charlesworth: Introduction -xiii-

1. W.E.H. Stanner: Some Aspects of Aboriginal Religion (1976) -1-

2. Ronald M. Berndt: A Profile of Good and Bad in Australian Aboriginal Religion (1979) -24-

3. Diane Bell: Aboriginal women and the Religious Experience (1980) -46-

4. Tony Swain: On 'Understanding' Australian Aboriginal Religion (1985) -72-

5. Rosemary Crumlin: Aboriginal Spirituality: Land as Holder of Story and Myth in Recent Aboriginal Art (1993) -94-

6. Deborah Bird Rose: Ned Kelly Died for Our Sins (1988) -103-

7. Peter Willis: Riders in the Chariot: Aboriginal Conversion to Christianity in Remote Australia (1988) -120-

8. Frank Brennan: Land Rights - The Religious Factor (1993) -142-

9. Nonie Sharp: Malo's Law in Court: The Religious Background to the Mabe Case (1994) -176-

Index 203

Cover Text

This remarkable collection brings together lectures on Australian Aboriginal religion given under the auspices of the Charles Strong Memorial Trust. The distinguished team of contributors bring the insights of anthropology, history and theology to a range of topics, revealing the complexity, diversity and dynamism within Aboriginal religion. Max Charlesworth provides a general introduction to the collection, which opens with the work of W.E.H. Stanner, whose groundbreaking approch informs and is developed through all the subsequent essays. Ronald M. Berndt shows how central ethical ideas are in Aboriginal religious thought. Diane Bell explores the religious experience of Aboriginal women, arguing that it is radically different from that of men. Tony Swain calls for a more empathetic approch to Aborigines' religious experience. Rosemary Crumlin looks at religious expression in Aboriginal art, while Deborah Bird Rose shows how Captain Cook and Ned Kelly have been incorporated into Aboriginal myths. Peter Willis looks at the complex dialogue between Aboriginal groups and Christianity. Frank Brennan and Nonie Sharp examine different aspects of the religious background to the Mabo case. Spanning twenty years, the book traces the development of scholarship in an area only recently considered worthy of serious study. This period has also seen the rise of Aboriginal activism, and these lectures provide crucial background to the current land rights and reconciliation debates. Together, they convey powerfully that an understanding of Aboriginal religious ideas is fundamental to an understand of their relationship to the land.