Overview

'In their introduction to this Handbook, the editors affirm: 'Many sociologists have come to realise that it makes no sense now to omit religion from the repertoire of social scientific explanations of social life'. I wholeheartedly agree. I also suggest that this wide-ranging set of essays should become a starting-point for such enquiries. Each chapter is clear, comprehensive and well-structured - making the Handbook a real asset for all those engaged in the field' - Grace Davie, Professor of Sociology, University of Exeter 'In the last two decades the sociology of religion has experienced an intellectual renaissance. The old paradigm of secularization has been replaced with new theories and methods recognising the importance of religion in modern society. The new topics include women and spirituality, violence and power, globalization and glocalization, fundamentalism, identity and life course, spiritual markets and rational choice theory. The Handbook for the Sociology of Religion not only reflects but develops and extends this renaissance.Not so much a handbook but an intellectual feast' - Bryan Turner, National University of Singapore 'Serious social scientists who care about making sense of the world can no longer ignore the fact that religious beliefs and practices are an important part of this world. Nor can scholars claim to understand religion by adding a couple of variables to their models, anymore than they could understand race, gender, or social class this way. This Handbook is a valuable resource for specialists and amateurs alike. The editors have done an exceptionally fine job of incorporating topics that illuminate the range and diversity of religion and its continuing significance throughout the world' - Robert Wuthnow, Princeton University At a time when religions are increasingly affecting, and affected by, life beyond the narrowly sacred sphere, religion everywhere seems to be caught up in change and conflict. In the midst of this contention and confusion, the sociology of religion provides a rich source of understanding and explanation. This Handbook presents an unprecedentedly comprehensive assessment of the field, both where it has been and where it is headed.Like its many distinguished contributors, its topics and their coverage are truly global in their reach. The Handbook's 35 chapters are organized into eight sections: basic theories and debates; methods of studying religion; social forms and experiences of religion; issues of power and control in religious organizations; religion and politics; individual religious behaviour in social context; religion, self-identity and the life-course; and case studies of China, Eastern Europe, Israel, Japan, and Mexico. Each chapter establishes benchmarks for the state of sociological thinking about religion in the 21st century and provides a rich bibliography for pursuing its subject further. Overall, the Handbook stretches the field conceptually, methodologically, comparatively, and historically. It promises to be an indispensable source of guidance and insight for both students and scholars for years to come.

Full Product Details

Author:   James A. Beckford ,  N Jay Demerath
Publisher:   SAGE Publications Inc
Imprint:   SAGE Publications Inc
Dimensions:   Width: 17.40cm , Height: 4.70cm , Length: 24.60cm
Weight:   1.470kg
ISBN:  

9781412911955

ISBN 10:   1412911958
Pages:   768
Publication Date:   29 October 2007
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.

Table of Contents

PART ONE: THEORIES AND CONCEPTSThe Classical Tradition in Sociology of Religion - Randall CollinsAssessing Modernities - Kevin J. Christiano From 'Pre-' to 'Post-' to 'Ultra-'Secularisation and Sacralisation Deconstructed and Reconstructed - N. J. Demerath IIIRational Choice and Religious Economies - Frank J. LechnerGlobalization and Localization - Peter BeyerPART TWO: METHODS OF STUDYING RELIGIONMicro Qualitative Approaches to the Sociology of Religion - James V. Spickard Phenomenologies, Interviews, Narratives, and EthnographiesSurveys of Behaviour, Beliefs and Affiliation - David Voas Micro-quantitativeHistory, Methodologies and the Study of Religion - John R. HallPART THREE: SOCIAL FORMS AND EXPERIENCES OF RELIGIONCongregations Resurgent - N. J. Demerath III & Arthur E Farnsley IIEvangelicalism and Fundamentalism - Paul Freston The Politics of Global Popular ProtestantismFrom 'Cults' to New Religious Movements - Thomas Robbins & Phillip Charles Lucas Coherence, Definition and Conceptual Framing in the Study of New Religious MovementsNew Age Religion and Irreligion - William Sims BainbridgeCivil Religion in America and in Global Context - Marcela Cristi & Lorne L. DawsonPART FOUR: ISSUES OF POWER AND CONTROL IN RELIGIOUS ORGANISATIONSKeepers of the Tradition - Paula Nesbitt Religious Professionals and their CareersOrders and Schisms on the Sacred Periphery - Patricia Wittberg Faith-based Initiatives - Arthur E. Farnsley IIReligion on the Internet - Douglas E. CowanPART FIVE: RELIGION AND POLITICSReligion and the State - N. J. Demerath III Violence and Human RightsReligion and Regulation - J A Beckford & J T RichardsonReligion in Rebellion, Resistance and Social Movements - S E Nepstad and R H WilliamsReligious Affiliations, Political Preferences, and Ideological Alignments - Laura R. OlsonPART SIX: INDIVIDUAL RELIGIOUS BEHAVIOUR IN SOCIAL CONTEXTCross-national Comparisons of Individual Religiosity - Pierre BrechonRethinking the Relationship Between Ethnicity and Religion - Peter KivistoReligious Socialization among American Youth - John P. Bartkowski How Faith Shapes Parents, Children, and AdolescentsAge, Generation and Cohort in American Religion and Spirituality - Michele DillonPART SEVEN: RELIGION, SELF-IDENTITY AND THE LIFE-COURSEReligion and Identity - Arthur L. Greil & Lynn DavidmanGender Differences in Religious Practice and Significance - Linda WoodheadEmbodiment, Emotion and Religious Experience - Phillip A. Mellor Religion, Culture and the Charismatic BodyReligion as a Factor in Life and Death Through the Life-course - Stephen J. HuntPART EIGHT: CASE STUDIES FROM AROUND THE WORLDOligopoly Dynamics - Fenggang Yang Official Religions in ChinaThe Religious Landscape of Central and Eastern Europe After Communism - Irena BorowikJudaism in Israel - Stephen Sharot Public Religion, Neo-traditionalism, Messianism and Ethno-Religious ConflictState Shinto and Religion in Post-war Japan - Susumu ShimazonoMexico - Roberto J. Blancarte A Mirror For the Sociology of Religion

Reviews

The handbook achieves an admirable synthesis of important efforts and will be particularly helpful as a means to orient beginning students in the sociology of religion. -- CHOICE 20081020

""The handbook achieves an admirable synthesis of important efforts and will be particularly helpful as a means to orient beginning students in the sociology of religion."" -- CHOICE

The handbook achieves an admirable synthesis of important efforts and will be particularly helpful as a means to orient beginning students in the sociology of religion. -- CHOICE

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