The New Blackwell Companion to the Sociology of Religion

Reflecting the very latest developments in the field, this companion provides a comprehensive introduction to the sociology of religion with a clear emphasis on comparative and historical approaches. Covering all the areas relevant to undergraduate courses in this area, the companion begins by laying down the anthropological and sociological foundations of the study of religion and their contemporary developments. It continues with an analysis of both traditional and contemporary forms of organization, such as church––sect typologies as well as megachurches and modern forms of spirituality. The secularization and post–secular society debates are considered in depth along with the globalization process, fundamentalism, charismatic movements, and revivalism. It also discusses the sociology of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and religions of China, as well as the areas of American exceptionalism from de Tocqueville onwards, religious nationalism, women and piety movements, and the spirituality of Native American communities.

Considering new developments in social theory and religion, the collection concludes with a discussion of recent work that attempts to understand the future of religion, blending the sociology of modern societies, anthropological ethnography, and philosophical inquiry.

Notes on Contributors viii

Introduction: Mapping the Sociology of Religion 1
Bryan S. Turner

PART I THE FOUNDATIONS 31

1 The Sociology of Religion: The Foundations 33
Andrew McKinnon

2 Durkheim and After: Religion, Culture, and Politics 52
William Ramp

3 The Functional Theory of Religion 76
Victor Lidz

4 Recent Developments in the Anthropology of Religion 103
Simon Coleman

PART II FROM SECULARIZATION TO RESACRALIZATION 123

5 Secularization 125
Steve Bruce

6 American Exceptionalism? 141
John Torpey

7 Resacralization 160
Grace Davie

PART III NEW DEVELOPMENTS 179

8 Rational Choice and the Sociology of Religion 181
David Lehmann

9 The Religious Habitus: Embodiment, Religion, and Sociological Theory 201
Philip A. Mellor and Chris Shilling

10 Women, Religions, and Feminisms 221
Fang–Long Shih

PART IV INSTITUTIONALIZATION: OLD AND NEW FORMS 245

11 New Research on Megachurches: Non–denominationalism and Sectarianism 247
Stephen Ellingson

12 The Sociology of Spirituality: Refl ections on a Problematic Endeavor 267
Matthew Wood

13 Arguing against Darwinism: Religion, Science, and Public Morality 286
Michael S. Evans and John H. Evans

PART V SOCIOLOGY OF COMPARATIVE RELIGIONS 309

14 The Sociology of Early Christianity: From History to Theory, and Back Again 311
Joseph M. Bryant

15 Judaism: Covenant, Pluralism, and Piety 340
Alan Mittleman

16 Sociology and Anthropology of Islam: A Critical Debate 364
Gabriele Marranci

17 Approaches to the Study of Buddhism 388
Catherine Newell

18 Sociology of Hinduism 407
Pratap Kumar Penumala

19 Religious Awakening in China under Communist Rule: A Political Economy Approach 431
Fenggang Yang

20 Native American Religious Traditions: A Sociological Approach 456
Dennis F. Kelley

PART VI GLOBALIZATION 475

21 Globalization and the Sociology of Religion 477
Lionel Obadia

22 Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements in a Global Perspective 498
Afe Adogame

23 Fundamentalism 519
Richard T. Antoun

24 Religion, Media, and Globalization 544
Jeremy Stolow

25 Toward a Sociology of Religious Commodifi cation 563
Pattana Kitiarsa

26 Women and Piety Movements 584
Rachel Rinaldo

27 Religion and Nationalism: A Critical Re–examination 606
Geneviève Zubrzycki

PART VII THE FUTURE OF RELIGION 627

28 The Future of Religion 629
Andrew Wernick

29 Religion in a Post–secular Society 649
Bryan S. Turner

Index 668

Bryan S. Turner is the Presidential Professor of Sociology at the City University of New York Graduate School and Director of the Committee on Religion and Director of the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Muslim Societies at the University of Western Sydney, Australia. He was Professor of Sociology at the University of Cambridge and subsequently Professor of Sociology in the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore. Professor Turner was an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at Bielefeld University, Germany, a Fellow of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge University, the Alona Evans Distinguished Visiting Professor at Wellesley College, and a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Social Sciences. He recently published The Body and Society, third edition (2008), and edited The New Blackwell Companion to Social Theory (2009).