Dame Janet Laughland Nelson, DBE, FBA (born 1942) is a British historian. She is Emeritus Professor of Medieval History at King's College London. Her research to date has been focused on early medieval Europe, including Anglo-Saxon England. She has published widely on kingship, government, political ideas, religion and ritual, and increasingly on women and gender during this period.
Taboo, Magic, Spirits - A Study of Primitive Elements in Roman Religion
A study of primitive elements in Roman religion, this deals with such topics as witchcraft, taboo, incantations, magic, and the superstitions that affected every part of everyday life. Thoroughly well-researched, while avoiding being 'heavy' reading. Many will find this interesting reading as the sections on prayer, blood sacrifices and raising the hands sets the contextual backdrop for much of the New Testament.
As the first comprehensive work to assemble ideas, concepts, discourses, and extensive essays in this vital area, the Encyclopedia of African Religion explores such topics as deities and divinities, the nature of humanity, the end of life, the conquest of fear, and the quest for attainment of harmony with nature and other humans. Editors Molefi Kete Asante and Ama Mazama include nearly 500 entries that seek to rediscover the original beauty and majesty of African religion.
Saints and their Communities - Miracle Stories in Twelfth Century England
Saints and their Communities offers a new approach to the study of lay religion as evidenced in collections of miracle narratives in twelfth-century England. There are a number of problems associated with the interpretation of this hagiographical genre and an extended introduction discusses these. The first issue is the tendency to read these narratives as transparent accounts of lay religion as if it were something susceptible to static, 'ethnographic' treatment in isolation from wider social and political activities. The second issue is the challenge of explaining the miraculous as a credible part of cultural experience, without appealing to reductionist notions of a 'medieval mindset'.
The first comprehensive book-length introduction to anthropological research on the island as a whole, The Anthropology of Ireland considers the changing place in a changing Ireland of religion, sex, sport, race, dance, young people, the Travellers, St Patrick's Day and much more.
