Sociology of Religion
Subtitle: an Historical Introduction
Edition: 2nd ed.
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Published: 2017
Place of publication: Milton
Language: eng
Number of pages: 331
ISBN-13: 9781351488884
Subjects: Religion and sociology; Sociologie religieuse
Description: "Sociology of Religion represents a documented introduction to the history of sociological thought as applied to religious phenomena. It examines both the substantive and functional definitions of religion that are more open, pluralistic, and not inscribed in a single explanatory horizon or within a single confessional perspective. The contributors' concerns are carefully written to show all sides of the argument. Roberto Cipriani argues for the simple definition that the sociology of religion is an application of sociological theories and methods to religious phenomena. Historically, close ties between sociology and the sociology of religion exist. The slow and uneven development of theory and methods affects the sociology of religion's development, but the latter has also benefited from increasing precision and scientific validity. Other sociological writers agree and disagree about different approaches. Some assume it is a militantly confessional or anti-confessional; others remain neutral within their work."--Provided by publisher.
Table of contents: title: Cover; Half Title; Title; Copyright; Contents; List of Tables; About the Author; Introduction to the Transaction Edition: Ideology, Social Constructionism, and the Sociology of Religion by Howard Schneiderman; Preface to the English Edition; The Sociological Definition of Religion; Part I The Origins; 1 The Historical-Philosophical Background; 2 August Comte (1798-1857): The Universal Religion; 3 Tocqueville (1805-1859): Religion and Democracy; 4 Bergson (1859-1941): Religion and Élan Vital; title: 5 The Contribution of Anthropology; Part II The Classics; 1 Durkheim (1858-1917): Religious Forms.; title: 2 Weber (1864-1920): Universal Religions3 Simmel (1858-1918): Religiosity and Religion; 4 Freud (1856-1939): The Psychic Dimension of Religion; 5 William James (1842-1910): Psychosocial Perspective; Part III The Contemporaries; 1 Religion as Universal; 2 The Macrosociological Approach; 3 The Historical-Cultural Dynamics; 4 The Frankfurt School and Religion; 5 The New European Perspectives; 6 The Socioanthropological Perspectives; Part IV Recent Developments; 1 Secularization; 2 Religious Pluralism; 3 Robert Bellah (1927-2013): Civil Religion; 4 North American Trends; 5 The European Trends.; title: 6 Niklas Luhmann (1927-1998): Religion as Function7 The New Religious Movements; Afterword; Bibliography; Author Index; General Index.