Postcolonial biblical criticism has been one of the most important and vibrant developments in contemporary Biblical Studies. Exploring Postcolonial Biblical Criticism: History, Method, Practice offers a concise and elegant introduction to this exciting field of study.

R.S. Sugirtharajah, widely regarded as the field's leading proponent, provides a wide ranging overview of the emergence of postcolonial theory -- examining its origins, describing its development, and demonstrating how it is applied to biblical studies. The book then pays particular attention to two of the current features of biblical studies - reverting to the practices of Orientalism and the emergence of Empire Studies especially in the US. The principal representatives and practitioners of contemporary postcolonial biblical criticism are introduced and their work explored. In order to demonstrate the theory, readers are clearly guided through examples of postcolonial reading approaches, including a reading of the birth stories of the Buddha and Jesus.

Innovative and timely, Exploring Postcolonial Biblical Criticism: History, Method, Practice provides an accessible introduction to an exciting and engaging development in contemporary critical thinking.