Religion, Law and Society

What can lawyers and sociologists learn from each other about religion in the twenty-first century?

Russell Sandberg (Author)

9781107027435, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 8 May 2014

296 pages, 1 b/w illus.
23.4 x 15.7 x 2 cm, 0.57 kg

'The book extends Sandberg's previous scholarship on law and religion, which examines the way law and religion have developed as a subdiscipline in England and Wales. Against a backdrop of religious resurgence and legal change to the status of religion, Sandberg powerfully demonstrates how both legal and sociological approaches are needed to unlock a fuller understanding of religion in society.' Charlotte Baines, Sociology of Religion

Issues concerning religion in the public sphere are rarely far from the headlines. As a result, scholars have paid increasing attention to religion. These scholars, however, have generally stayed within the confines of their own respective disciplines. To date there has been little contact between lawyers and sociologists. Religion, Law and Society explores whether, how and why law and religion should interact with the sociology of religion. It examines sociological and legal materials concerning religion in order to find out what lawyers and sociologists can learn from each other. A groundbreaking, provocative and thought-provoking book, it is essential reading for lawyers, sociologists and all who are interested in the relationship between religion, law and society in the twenty-first century.

1. The new world
2. The secularisation thesis
3. Secularisation within religious groups
4. Questioning the secularisation thesis
5. Beyond secularisation
6. A new dawn.

Subject Areas: Law & society [LAQ], Law [L], Sociology [JHB], Philosophy of religion [HRAB]