New Book: “Bringing Back the Social into the Sociology of Religion”

Editors: Veronique Altglas and Matthew Wood.
https://brill.com/view/title/32114

The contributors to Bringing Back the Social into the Sociology of Religion explore how ‘bringing the social back into the sociology of religion’ makes possible a more adequate sociological understanding of such topics as power, emotions, the self, or ethnic relations in religious life. In particular, they do so by engaging with social theories and addressing issues of epistemology and scientific reflexivity. The chapters of this book cover a range of different religious traditions and regions of the world such as Sufism in Pakistan; the Kabbalah Centre in Europe, Brazil and Israel; African Christian missions in Europe; and Evangelical Christianity in France and Oceania. They are based upon original empirical research, making use of a range of methods - quantitative, ethnographic and documentary.

Contents:

  • Introduction: An Epistemology for the Sociology of Religion Véronique Altglas and Matthew Wood
  • Protestant Churches and Same-Sex Marriage in France: “Theological” Criteria and Sociological Approaches Gwendoline Malogne-Fer
  • Deconstructing Archer’s (Un)Critical Realism Peter Doak
  • Spirituality and Discipline: Not a Contradiction in Terms Véronique Altglas
  • Congregational Studies, Worship and Region Behaviour Matthew Wood
  • Unmasking the Relations of Power within the Religious Field Christophe Monnot
  • An Affective (U-)Turn in the Sociology of Religion? Religious Emotions and Native Narratives Yannick Fer
  • “Reverse Mission”: A Critical Approach for a Problematic Subject Eric Morier-Genoud
  • “We are Peace-Loving People.” Sufism, Orientalist Constructions of Islam and Radicalization Alix Philippon