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Sociology of Religion: An Historical Introduction book cover

2nd Edition

Sociology of Religion An Historical Introduction

Edited By Walter Wallace Copyright 1997
    330 Pages
    by Routledge

    330 Pages
    by Routledge

    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.

    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

    Biography

    Roberto Cipriani

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