Italian religious history has been pivotal to the formation and growth of European and Western civilization and cultures. Unfortunately, many texts that are fundamental for the understanding of its importance have long remained inaccessible to non-Italian readers. Similarly, the exciting developments of Italian scholarship in the field of religious studies have not always come into the public eye outside of Italy. Particularly since the end of World War II there has been continuous expansion in the field, and at this time Italian scholars, combining the old, solid tradition of philological and historical studies with innovative ideas and methodologies, are emerging as a new force.
Italian Texts and Studies on Religion and Society (ITSORS) is a relatively new series. Its publications are all English translations of works originally published in Italian. The main aim of ITSORS is to acquaint readers in the English-speaking world with Italian socio-religious history and with the best of Italian scholarly research on religion. For this reason ITSORS includes Texts, Historical and Philological Studies, and Theological Essays.
The Texts consist of classical works and are intended to be useful as sources for a better comprehension of important events in religious history. Many are documents that have never been translated into English or are not readily available. The Historical and Philological Studies comprise original works of contemporary Italian scholarship that offer methodological contributions to research and make inroads into seldom-studied areas. The Theological Essays are books written by Italian theologians who construct a new dialogue between religious traditions and our modern or postmodern contemporary cultural world.
