Handbook of the Sociology of Religion

This Handbook showcases research and thinking in the sociology of religion.

Michele Dillon (Edited by)

9780521806244, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 18 August 2003

496 pages
23.6 x 15.5 x 3 cm, 0.83 kg

"Editor Michele Dillon has pulled off quite an impressive feat: soliciting, assembling, and publishing 28 original essays by some of the top sociologists of religion in the United States....The majority of chapters are plainly articulated, informed by sound theory, and bolstered by compelling data....the list of contributors is the closest thing to a 'who's who` of contemporary sociologists of religion to appear in one text that I am aware of. For sociologists of religion, this is easily the best single compendium of research and theory to come out in years, and a hearty testament to the vitality and dynamism of the state of our crucial discipline." Phil Zuckerman, Pitzer College, Contemporary Sociology

This Handbook showcases research and thinking in the sociology of religion. The contributors, all active writers and researchers in the area, provide original chapters focusing on select aspects of their own engagement with the field. Aimed at students and scholars who want to know more about the sociology of religion, this handbook also provides a resource for sociologists in general by integrating broader questions of sociology (e.g. demography, ethnicity, life course, inequality, political sociology) into the analysis of religion. Broadly inclusive of traditional research topics (modernity, secularization, politics) as well as newer interests (feminism, spirituality, faith based community action), this handbook illustrates the validity of diverse theoretical perspectives and research designs to understanding the multi-layered nature of religion as a sociological phenomenon.

Part I. Religion as a Field of Sociological Knowledge: 1. The sociology of religion in late modernity Michele Dillon
2. Studying religion, making it sociological Robert Wuthnow
3. The ritual roots of society and culture Robert Bellah
4. Social forms of religion and religions in contemporary global society Peter Beyer
5. The evolution of the sociology of religion: theme and variations Grace Davies
Part II. Religion and Social Change: 6. Demographic methods for the sociology of religion Michael Hout
7. Church attendance in the United States Mark Chaves and Laura Stephens
8. The dynamics of religious economies Roger Fink and Rodney Stark
9. Historicizing the secularization debate: an agenda for research Philip Gorski
10. Escaping the procrustean bed: a critical analysis of the study of religious organizations, 1930–2001 Patricia M. Y. Chung
11. Religion and spirituality: toward an integrated analysis Wade Clark Roof
Part III. Religion and the Life Course: 12. Religious socialization: sources of influence and influences of agency Darren Sherkat
13. In rhetoric and practice: defining the 'good family' in local congregations Penny Edgell Becker
14. Religion and health: depressive symptoms and mortality as case studies Michael McCullough and Timothy Smith
15. Religion, spirituality, and vital involvement in late adulthood Michele Dillon and Paul Wink
Part IV. Religion and Social Identity: 16. Religious identities and religious institutions Nancy Ammerman
17. Religion and the new immigrants Helen Rose Ebaugh
18. A journey of the 'straight way' or the 'roundabout path': Jewish identity in the United States and Israel Arnold Dashefsky, Bernard Lazerwitz and Ephraim Tabory
19. Beyond the synogogue Lynn Davidman
20. Dis/location: emerging feminist inquiry in the sociology of religion Mary Jo Neitz
Part V. Religion, Political Behavior, and Public Culture: 21. Religion and political behavior Jeff Manza and Nathan Wright
22. Religious social movements in the public sphere: organization, ideology, and activism Rhys Williams
23. Mapping the moral order: depicting the terrain of religious conflict and change Fred Kniss
24. Civil society and civil religion as mutually dependent N. J. Demerath, III
25. Religion and violence: social processes in comparative perspective John Hall
Part VI. Religion and Socio-Economic Inequality: 26. Religion, faith-based community organizing, and the struggle for justice Richard Wood
27. Latina empowerment, border realities, and faith-based organizations Milagros Pena
28. 'Worldly' or 'other worldly'?: activism in an urban religious district Omar McRoberts.

Subject Areas: Sociology & anthropology [JH], Religion & beliefs [HR]