The recent centennial of the original publication of Sigmund Freud's The Interpretation of Dreams has generated a new wave of critical reappraisals of this monumental work. Considered one of the most important books in Western history, scholars from an astonishing variety of academic fields continue to wrestle with Freud's intricate theories and insights. Dreams is a long overdue collection of writing on dreams from many of the top scholars in religious studies, anthropology, and psychology departments. The volume is organized into three thematic sections: traditions, individuals and methods. The twenty-three articles highlight the most important theories, the most contentious debates, and the most far-reaching implications of this growing field of study.

Introduction; Contemplating Freud's Navel PART I: TRADITIONS Buddhist Dream Experience: The Role of Interpretation, Ritual, and Gender; S.Young Dreams and Nightmares in Ancient Egypt; K.Szpakowska Dreams in the Hebrew Bible; M.Tanner Sending a Voice, Seeking a Place: Visionary Dreams Among Native Women of the Plains; L.Irwin Dreams in American Personal Religious Accounts: 1600-1980; J.Alexander Dreams of Purposes: An Analysis of Dream Narratives in an Independent African Church; S.Charsley The Role of Dreams in Religious Enculturation Among the Asabano of Papua New Guinea; R.I.Lohmann PART II: INDIVIDUALS Penelope as Dreamer; The Perils of Interpretation; K.Bulkeley Kagwahiv Mourning: Dreams of a Bereaved Father; W.Kracke Dreams as 'Good to Think': Visionary Experiences in the Life of an Indian Sufi; M.Hermansen Wish, Conflict, and Awareness: Freud and the Problem of the 'Dream Book'; B.Cohler The Mystical Dreams of Ramakrishna; J.Kripal Dreams of a Jungian Therapist; J.White-Lewis 'Ifit Were My Dream ': Experiences in Group Dreamsharing; J.Taylor PART III: METHODS Western Dreams About Eastern Dreams; W.Doniger The New Anthropology of Dreaming; B.Tedlock Beyond Freud and Jung: A View from Cognitive Psychology; G .W.Domhoff A Content Analysis of Mehinaku Dreams; T.Gregor Modernity and Dream Content: A Ugandan Example; K.E.Johnson How Metaphor Structures Dreams: The Theory of Conceptual Metaphor Applied to Dream Analysis; G.Lakoff The Dream Navel: Networks of Meaning and the Undermining of Foundations; J.DiCenso Turning Aside at the Navel of the Dream: The End(s) of Interpretation; D.Jonte-Pace Metacognition in Dreaming and Waking; T.Kahan Conclusion: Responding to a Skeptic: A Conversation with Frederick Crews