Theorising Religion: Classical and Contemporary DebatesRoutledge, 2017 M10 24 - 278 pages Religion is controversial and challenging. Whilst religious forces are powerful in numerous societies, they have little or no significance for wide swaths of public or private life in other places. The task of theoretical work in the sociology of religion is, therefore, to make sense of this apparently paradoxical situation in which religion is simultaneously significant and insignificant. The chapters of Part One consider the classical roots of ideas about religion that dominated sociological ways of thinking about it for most of the twentieth century. Each chapter offers sound reasons for continuing to find theoretical inspiration and challenge in the sociological classics whilst also seeking ways of enhancing and extending their relevance to religion today. Part Two contains chapters that open up fresh perspectives on aspects of modern, post-modern and ultra-modern religion without necessarily ignoring the classical legacy. The chapters of Part Three chart new directions for the sociological analysis of religion by fundamentally re-thinking its theoretical basis, by extending its disciplinary boundaries and by examining previously overlooked topics. |
Contents
1978 | |
1988 | |
Weber Rationalisation and Religious Evolution in the Modem | |
Spiritualism and the ReEnchantment of Modernity | |
Classical Theory and Contemporary | |
Towards a PostWestern | |
Religion in Ultramodernity | |
Explaining | |
Understanding Honour and Religion as Resource and Constraint for Young | |
Preference Structures and Normative Constraints in Movements Outside | |
Five Stories of Religions | |
A Minimalist Sociology of Religion | |
Excarnate and Hypercarnate | |
Inner Speech and Religious Traditions | |
Social Theories of the Body in the Sociology of Religion | |
Integrating Studies of Race and Ethnicity with | |
Other editions - View all
Theorising Religion: Classical and Contemporary Debates James A. Beckford,John Walliss Limited preview - 2006 |
Theorising Religion: Classical and Contemporary Debates John Walliss,Taylor & Francis Group No preview available - 2021 |
Common terms and phrases
American analysis argues argument Beck Beckford become behaviour beliefs body British Asians Cambridge chapter choices Christian church classical concepts contemporary context cultural denominations disability discourse disenchantment divine Durkheim emergence emphasis ethnic ethnographies example excarnation experience explore faith focus forms Giddens global globalisation groups honour human ideas identity important increasingly individuals inner speech institutions interpretation Islam issues Journal late modern London magic marriage McDonaldization meaning medical sociology migrants modernisation Muslim narratives notion NRMs organisations Oxford participation Pentecostalism perspective Piette Piette's political postmodern practices preferences prisoners Protestantism question rationalisation reality reflexive relation relationship religious movements risk risk society rituals role Routledge sacred secular secularisation sense Sherkat significance Sikh Sikhism Social Theory society sociologists sociology of race sociology of religion spiritual Spiritualists structure Study of Religion syncretistic theodicy theology theoretical traditional Ulrich Beck ultramodernity understanding University Press Weber Weberian Western