The first thorough assessment of the field of comparative religion in forty years, this groundbreaking volume surmounts the seemingly intractable division between postmodern scholars who reject the comparative endeavor and those who affirm it. The contributors, some of the most innovative and respected scholars in their fields, demonstrate that a broader vision of religion, involving different scales of comparison for different purposes, is both justifiable and necessary. Taken together, the essays represent a state-of-the-art assessment of the current issues and direction of the discipline. They argue convincingly that renewed comparativism is best undertaken as an intellectually creative procedure, not as science, but as an art -- a critical act of mediation and redescription for the purpose of gaining insight into ourselves and others. - Back cover.