'Heer professor doctor Jacques Waardenburg, born in Haarlem (Holland) in 1930, studied theology at the University of Amsterdam, specializing bin phenomenology of religion. He received his doctorate from the same university in 1961 with a dissertation analyzing the studies of five leading Western scholars on the religion of Islam (...)'.

'Reflections on the Study of Religion
The papers contained in this volume concern the intellectual approach to be adopted for the study of religious behavior and beliefs in different human societies.The author's concern is to analyze different perspectives, theories, methodologies and tools of research in the field.
The author is of the opinion that there is a need for a fresh approach to the field of subjective meaning of religious phenomena, that is to say the meaning which they have for particular groups and persons.
His aim is to understand and interpret the religion and culture of others as expressed and documented by themselves, according to their manifest intentions. To the tasks of new style phenomenological research in the field of religion belong the quest for intentions and the analysis of religions as sign systems, as a logical result of its historical development since the work of Gerardus van der Leeuw (1890-1950).
These papers, most of which have been unpublished, are of interest to all students of religion, in their appeal for a 'prise de conscience', taking cognizance of the different assumptions, theoretical and otherwise, in religi-
our studies and of the influence of the social context within which these studies are carried out. They may lead
to new hypotheses and theoretical considerations, and ben fruitful for further studies in the field'.