History, Anthropology, Religions

The course aims to provide an overview of the theories of comparison that have most significantly influenced the historical study of religions during the 19th and 20th centuries, along with the theoretical tools to critically examine their impact on the ways of describing and interpreting various religious contexts. Studying the theories of comparison is important due to the central role this tool has assumed in the history of religions and the historiography that has guided research in religious contexts other than those that inspired the theories themselves. However, comparison is also a pre-comparative operation that risks determining the results of research a priori. Some central questions of the course concern the possibility of defining different modes of comparison starting from the case study of the "werewolf" studied by Carlo Ginzburg and Bruce Lincoln from a comparative perspective, which shows how the process and testimony of the protagonist, the old Thiess, can lead to different analyses of the event.

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1) Carlo Ginzburg - Bruce Lincoln, Il vecchio Thiess. Un lupo mannaro baltico tra caso e comparazione, 2022. 2) Apples and Oranges: Explorations In, On, and With Comparison, 2018 (a selection of chapters). 3) Raffaele Pettazzoni, Il metodo comparativo, Numen, Vol. 6, Fasc. 1 (Jan., 1959), pp. 1-14. 4) Teaching material.

Frontal classes. It is also planned the reading, followed by discussion, of a selection of sources inherent to the main issues of the course. During the course, students will be involved to actively work in team in order to explore some aspects specifically related to the course and the teaching program and enhance the historical thinking skills.

Attendance is not compulsory, however, only students who attend will participate in the workshop activities. For those who do not attend the class, additional reading is strongly recommended, as indicated in the program.

The examination will consist of an interview intended to verify the applicant's knowledge on the issues exposed during the course and the methodological, critical and applicable aspects of the History of religions. Also, the exam will verify the applicant's autonomous ability to connect the issues of the corse with other disciplines.

Frontal lessons and seminars. During the course there will be laboratory lessons in which students are actively involved in group work to explore specific aspects of the course and the monographic part of the program.