Raphaël Mathieu Legault-Laberge, Quatre essais d’anthropologie des religions, Québec, Les Presses de l’Université Laval (coll. « Sciences religieuses »), 2022, xiii-259 p.

Abstract

Raphaël Mathieu Legault-Laberge, Quatre essais d’anthropologie des religions, Avril 2022, 294 pages.

In this work, Raphaël Mathieu Legault-Laberge offers a rigorous exploration of the anthropology of religions through four distinct essays. Drawing on diverse case studies—such as the Lumière des Nations Church and syncretic practices like **Snake handling** and the peyote ritual—the author examines religious dimensions through both ethnographic and methodological lenses. Divided into two parts, the book first addresses the challenges of religious ethnography and then delves into methodological and epistemological reflections pertinent to the field.

Legault-Laberge, a specialist in contemporary religious studies, highlights issues of immigrant integration through religious communities and the challenges researchers face in fieldwork. Though dense and at times complex for a non-specialist audience, this work is a valuable contribution for scholars of religion, offering a nuanced perspective on ethnographic practice and religious dynamics in a constantly evolving context.