{"title":"Matthew Engelke","description":"\u003cp\u003eMatthew Engelke’s works delve into the intricate relationship between belief systems and human experience, offering thoughtful explorations in \u003cem\u003eReligion \u0026amp; Spirituality\u003c\/em\u003e. His writing invites readers to consider how presence and perception shape our understanding of faith and culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith a clear, engaging style suited for both students and curious minds, Engelke’s books often bridge academic insight and accessible storytelling, making complex ideas in anthropology and religious studies approachable and compelling.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"think-like-an-anthropologist-by-matthew-engelke-9780141983226","title":"Think Like an Anthropologist","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEssential reading for anyone who wants a fresh take on our cultural values that goes beyond economics, psychology, and politics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat is anthropology? What can it tell us about the world around us? And why do we need it?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor well over one hundred years, social and cultural anthropologists have traversed the world from Melanesia to suburban England, Taipei to Wall Street, uncovering surprising facts, patterns, predilections, and sometimes the inexplicable, in terms of how humans organise their lives and articulate their values.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBy weaving together theories and examples from around the world, Matthew Engelke brilliantly shows why anthropology matters—not only because it helps us understand other points of view, but also because, in the process, it reveals something about ourselves too.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThink Like an Anthropologist\u003c\/em\u003e is essential reading for providing a new perspective on cultural values.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House Distribution","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46658281799916,"sku":"9780141983226","price":22.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/14634243482238.jpg?v=1752516309"},{"product_id":"a-problem-of-presence-by-matthew-engelke-9780520249042","title":"A Problem of Presence","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Friday Masowe apostolics of Zimbabwe refer to themselves as \"the Christians who don't read the Bible.\" They claim they do not need the Bible because they receive the Word of God \"live and direct\" from the Holy Spirit. In this insightful and sensitive historical ethnography, Matthew Engelke documents how this rejection of scripture speaks to longstanding concerns within Christianity over mediation and authority.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Bible, of course, has been a key medium through which Christians have recognised God's presence. But the apostolics perceive scripture as an unnecessary, even dangerous, mediator. For them, the materiality of the Bible marks a distance from the divine and prohibits the realisation of a live and direct faith.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSituating the Masowe case within a broad comparative framework, Engelke shows how their rejection of textual authority poses a problem of presence—which is to say, how the religious subject defines, and claims to construct, a relationship with the spiritual world through the semiotic potentials of language, actions, and objects. Written in a lively and accessible style, \u003cem\u003eA Problem of Presence\u003c\/em\u003e makes important contributions to the anthropology of Christianity, the history of religions in Africa, semiotics, and material culture studies.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47470050738412,"sku":"9780520249042","price":66.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780520249042-a-problem-of-presence.jpg?v=1775209812"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/matthew-engelke.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}