This book makes critical theory on religion more accessible to both undergraduates and skeptics, showcasing its practical relevance and usefulness to research and teaching on contemporary subjects, and highlighting the importance of decolonial approaches to the study of religion.

The book begins with a 'toolkit for doing Critical Religion', which provides an introductory overview of the field and explains key terms and concepts including discourse, genealogy, and coloniality. Part 1 offers five influential theorists' perspectives on what it means to be critical in practical terms, including chapters from Russell McCutcheon and Aaron Hughes. Part 2 offers case studies from six researchers' hands-on experience of applying critical approaches in the field, including a wide range of contexts such as Jewish, Japanese, European, and indigenous cultures. Each one highlights ways in which critical perspectives have enriched their empirical work, providing tools with which to achieve new insights and create new knowledge in different disciplines and global contexts.

With chapters from several of the leading critical theorists working in Religious Studies departments in Europe, North America and Africa, as well as a selection of scholars who are pioneering critical approaches to 'religion' in various fields of empirical research as anthropologists, sociologists or political scientists, this book is an important classroom resource for explaining why theory matters for religion.