Religions, Spiritualities All books
Bernard Frank
Gods and Buddhas in Japan (Work of the Collège de France)
Japanese Buddhism descends directly from the Chinese Buddhist tradition which flourished from the sixth to the eighth centuries.
Régis Debray
God, An Itinerary
"If we can be said to have a goal, it is to reply as precisely and soberly as possible to a childish question, which has been frequently set aside as trivial: Why are these beliefs, which came to light in the desert three thousand years ago, still among us? And why is it that hundreds of millions of men and women still follow them? The study of God's minor aspects does not, in our opinion, lessen its significance. Instead, it gives new life to spiritual issues." Régis Debray Régis Debray teaches at the University of Lyon-III.
Jacques Gutwirth
The Rebirth of Hasidism, from1945 to the present
In 1945, there were 20,000 Hasidim in the world. Today, there are between 350,000 and 400,000, about half of whom live in Israel. This population explosion cannot be explained simply by demographic reasons. In France alone, it is estimated that there are 10,000 to 15,000 Lubavitch Hasidim, a small but particularly active community. Jacques Gutwirth paints a vivid picture of the major centres of Hasidism - Antwerp, New York, Jerusalem, Bne Brak and Paris. He describes the main aspects of Hasidism today, its spiritual and intellectual contributions, its recent history and the influence it has. Hasidism cannot be reduced simply to a religious conception, a way of expressing one's religion, or a particular lifestyle. Its rapid development is linked to current politics and global economics, to which in turn it also contributes. In this rigorous, balanced study of one of Judaism's most dynamic communities, the author provides solid information to further the discussion on the rise of religious fundamentalism. Jacques Gutwirth is an anthropologist and an honorary research fellow at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). A pioneer in the field of urban anthropology, he has taught at the University of Provence, in Aix, and at the University René Descartes, in Paris, as well as in Germany and the United States. He is the founder of the laboratory of anthropology at the CNRS. His first book, Vie Juive Traditionnelle, about a Hasidic community in Antwerp, is regarded as a classic. He is also the author of Les Judéo-Chrétiens Aujourd'hui and L'Eglise Electronique: La Saga des Télévangélistes
Dominique Schnapper, Paul Saloma, Perrine Simon-Nahum
Thinking about anti-Semitism A Symposium on Anti-Semitism
Commentary from the latest reports on anti-Semitism in France, in order to go well beyond journalistic and political discourse. The current character of the issue, which is examined here with the resources of both history and philosophy. The scope of the analyses proposed by some of the most respected specialists on the issue.
Rita Hermon-Belot
The Sources of the Secular Idea Religious Pluralism and French Secularism
Laïcité: a long history of confrontation
Olivier Artus, Sophie Ramond
Contemporary Challenges and the Hebrew Bible An Ethics of Good and Evil
A text that combines history, biblical science, philosophy and ethics, for an original reflection on society’s current challenges in terms of justice, ecology and human dignity.
The Dalaï-lama, Thubten Chödrön
Buddhism One Teacher, Many Traditions
The diverse expressions of the Buddha's teachings
Bernard Lewis
Faith and Power Religion and Politics in the Middle East
One of the greatest experts on the Middle East revisits the great question of Islam and its clash with the West
Alain Boureau
Satan, the Heretic History of demonology in Medieval Europe, 1260-1350
Alain Boureau is one of the most original French medievalists. In his earlier, best-selling book on the droit du seigneur, he showed that such a custom had never actually existed. The present work is not about Satan and Satanism, but about the birth of demonology, i.e. about the demons that inhabit Satan's Court - a fascinating topic for a medievalist. Before the end of the thirteenth century, theology had shown little interest in demons, according to Boureau. But Saint Thomas Aquinas' Treatise on Evil, written in 1272, changed all this. Boureau tries to find an explanation. He is not concerned with why people believe in demons - he has not written a social history of demonology. Instead, he sets out to understand why theologians became interested in the subject - for this is a history of theological ideas about demons. The author summarises his explanation as follows: I propose that the date of the invention of demonology be moved forward by more than a century, not because a new doctrine was established and enforced then, as was the case in the fifteenth century, but because of the considerable procedural changes that assimilated witchcraft and invocations of the devil with the crime of heresy, which in turn led to new legal developments and more revelations. In addition, the injection of doctrinal content into the ancient theme of the devil's pact explained demoniac activity in the world. The issue that lies at the heart of these discussions about a pact with the devil, evil and evidence is obviously the emergence of our legal system. Alain Boureau is a director of studies at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales.
Claude Debru, Frédéric-Pierre Isoz
Why Do We Believe?
This book is a dialogue between a philosopher and a psychoanalyst.
Mario Livio
Is God a Mathematician?
A best seller, finally available in France A question that everyone has asked, even if they don't dare ask out loud… Mathematics? An aspect of culture like any other.
Jean Adès
Sin and Madness The Psychopathology of the Deadly Sins
A unique and fascinating approach to psychiatry and psychic suffering
Armand Laferrère, Moshe Sebbag
Jews and Eternity
Are civilizations mortal? And yet, the Jewish people endure. A look at a mystery that might shed light on a world very concerned with its decline.
Edwige Rude-Antoine
Lives and Families Immigrants, Laws and Customs
For more than twenty years, immigration concerned only single men seeking employment. Today, whole families migrate creating new legal and cultural problems: people forced to return to their native country, polygamy, excision, arranged marriages. In her book Edwige Rude-Antoine analyzes the State's intervention in citizens' private lives and its significance. She also determines concrete principles that constitute a harmonious, multi-cultural society. Edwige Rude-Antoine has a PhD in law and specializes in immigration.
Jean-François Bensahel, Pierre d'Ornellas
Brothers, Apparently A serene and pacifist dialogue, at a time of great religious conflict
In a context of religious antagonism, a calm dialogue between Judaism and Christianity. An analysis of our time by two figures who do not minimize their differences but who seek, in a secular France, to establish common ground.
Armand Laferrère
Political Reading of the Bible
The Bible is not just a spiritual treasure it is also a political manual for our times.
Daniel Sibony
From Identity to Existence The Jewish People’s Contribution
How the uniqueness of the Jewish people can help us all —Jews and non-Jews
Jean Picq
Religious Freedom in the French Republic Restoring the Spirit of French Secularism
‘Laïcité’ has been at the heart of numerous debates in France. The author argues here for a multifaceted, open secularism.
Saïda Douki Dedieu, Hager Karray
The Veil on the Couch Hidden ramifications unveiled
The visible or hidden ramifications of the headscarf explained from the point of view of two psychiatrists who aim to reveal its importance in the status and mental health of women, from its origins to the present.
