Overview

Religion in Modern Europe examines religion as a form of collective memory. This is a memory held in place by Europe's institutional churches, educational systems, and the mass media - all of which are themselves responding to rapid social and economic change. Europe's religious memory is approached in the following ways: as vicarious-a particularly European characteristic, as precarious-especially among young people, and as it is portrayed by the media. The memory may fragment, be disputed, and in extreme cases, disappear. Alternatives may emerge. The challenge for European societies is to affirm healthy mutations in religious memory and discourage others. The book also examines the increasing diversity of Europe's religious life. European Societies SeriesSeries Editor: Colin CrouchVery few of the existing sociological texts which compare different European societies on specific topics are accessible to a broad range of scholars and students. The European Societies series will help fill this gap in the literature, and attempt to answer questions such as: Is there really such a thing as a 'European model' of society? Do the economic and political integration processes of the European Union also imply convergence in more general aspects of social life, like family or religious behaviour? What do the societies of Western Europe have in common with those further to the east? This series will cover the main social institutions, although not every author will cover the full range of European countries. As well as surveying existing knowledge in a way that will be useful to students, each book will also seek to contribute to our growing knowledge of what remains in many respects a sociologically unknown continent.

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9780199241248

Table of Contents

Reviews

`A library of recent professional research lies behind this book, and it may well prove to be seminal for future writing. But for all those who are concerned for the Church's mission on the continent (as well as on the islands on its western fringe) this book ought to be required reading - all CofE ordinands included.' The Revd Jonathan Godall, Bishop's Chaplain and Research Officer `The book deserves a wide readership and its blend of accessibility, empirical rigour, and theoretical sophistication should ensure, that like its predecessor, it becomes a standard text for some time to come.' Journal of Contemporary Religion, vol.16, no.3 `represents a major theoretical contribution to the discourses surrounding religion, identity and the disembedding of culture. An attractive feature is the inclusion of a wide range of scholarly material from non-English speaking sources, making this book both truly European in scope and introducing the reader to significant theoretical developments originating within European sociology.' Journal of Contemporary Religion, vol.16, no.3 `Davie's 'Religion in Britain since 1945' (1994) quickly established itself as a standard teaching text and this successor volume has been awaited with keen anticipation. Davie does not disappoint. The product of impressive scholarship, exhaustively researched and theoretically innovative, this book represents an important addition to our understanding of contemporary religious life.' Journal of Contemporary Religion, vol.16, no.3 `a bold and by no means unsuccessful gesture towards comprehensive coverage of contemporary European religion' Bryan Wilson, The Tablet `a careful and distinguished analysis of the concept of 'secularisation' as applied to modern Europe ... one of its cardinal virtues is that it throws out diverting hints and implications which a tight theme and the limitations of space will not allow to be explored further.' Rev. Prof. Edward Norman, Church Times 12/01/01. `Dr Davie's excellence resides in her sensitivity to the slippery nature of her materials. Her summary of the present realations of Church and state in European countries is also especially useful.' Rev. Prof. Edward Norman, Church Times 12/01/01. A contemporary survey of a continent which is beginning to forget that it once was Christian. The Gospel and Our Culture, Spring 2002

Insightful, creative, sensitive and original in its re-reading of old problems and its establishment of new possibilities, Religion in Modern Europe is a book of enormous significance Journal of Beliefs & Values Offers a nuanced reflection on belief and practice ... Grace Davie has once again done us a service in showing how complex the full story is likely to be British Journal of Sociology Here we have a wide, very readable and fascinating survey of the state of various religions and churches in Europe today, along with heretofore unexplored facets of the subject. Further, if futurology is the name of the game, this book may be of some cheer to those who do not accept the inevitable end of religion, especially Christianity, as a driving or guiding force in European society International Journal of Education and Religion

Insightful, creative, sensitive and original in its re-reading of old problems and its establishment of new possibilities, Religion in Modern Europe is a book of enormous significance Journal of Beliefs & Values Offers a nuanced reflection on belief and practice ... Grace Davie has once again done us a service in showing how complex the full story is likely to be British Journal of Sociology Here we have a wide, very readable and fascinating survey of the state of various religions and churches in Europe today, along with heretofore unexplored facets of the subject. Further, if futurology is the name of the game, this book may be of some cheer to those who do not accept the inevitable end of religion, especially Christianity, as a driving or guiding force in European society International Journal of Education and Religion

Author Information

Grace Davie is Senior Lecturer in Sociology, University of Exeter

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