Sociology of Religion
An Historical Introduction
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Book Description
In adopting an international perspective that goes beyond the conventional framework of western theology, this volume bridges the divide between European and North American scholars through its careful retrieval of their common theoretical and research interests. Cipriani provides a critical analysis of both classical thought and contemporary currents in this readable text, aimed at both experts and students. He has achieved a broadening in the scientific approach to the study of religion.
Table of 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 "elan Vital"
5. The Contribution of Anthropology
Part II The Classics
1. Durkheim (1858–1917): Religious Forms
2. Weber (1864–1920): Universal Religions
3. 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 The Recent Developments
1. Secularization
2. Religious Pluralism
3. Robert Bellah (1927–2013): Civil Religion
4. North American Trends
5. The European Trends
6. Niklas Luhmann (1927–1998): Religion as Function
7. The New Religious Movements
Afterword
Bibliography
Author Index
General Index