The new Blackwell companion to the sociology of religion

Summary: Reflecting the very latest developments in the field, this New 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. --

Record details

ISBN: 9781405188524 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN: 1405188529 (hardcover : alk. paper)
Physical Description: print
xvii, 691 p. ; 26 cm.
Publisher: Chichester, West Sussex, U.K. ; Malden, MA : Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Machine generated contents note: pt. I FOUNDATIONS -- 1. Sociology of Religion: The Foundations / Andrew McKinnon -- 2. Durkheim and After: Religion, Culture, and Politics / William Ramp -- 3. Functional Theory of Religion / Victor Lidz -- 4. Recent Developments in the Anthropology of Religion / Simon Coleman -- pt. II FROM SECULARIZATION TO RESACRALIZATION -- 5. Secularization / Steve Bruce -- 6. American Exceptionalism? / John Torpey -- 7. Resacralization / Grace Davie -- pt. III NEW DEVELOPMENTS -- 8. Rational Choice and the Sociology of Religion / David Lebmann -- 9. Religious Habitus: Embodiment, Religion, and Sociological Theory / Chris Shilling -- 10. Women, Religions, and Feminisms / Fang-Long Shih -- pt. IV INSTITUTIONALIZATION: OLD AND NEW FORMS -- 11. New Research on Megachurches: Non-denominationalism and Sectarianism / Stephen Ellingson -- 12. Sociology of Spirituality: Reflections on a Problematic Endeavor / Matthew Wood -- 13. Arguing against Darwinism: Religion, Science, and Public Morality / John H. Evans -- pt. V SOCIOLOGY OF COMPARATIVE RELIGIONS -- 14. Sociology of Early Christianity: From History to Theory, and Back Again / Joseph M. Bryant -- 15. Judaism: Covenant, Pluralism, and Piety / Alan Mittleman -- 16. Sociology and Anthropology of Islam: A Critical Debate / Gabriele Marranci -- 17. Approaches to the Study of Buddhism / Catherine Newell -- 18. Sociology of Hinduism / Pratap Kumar Penumala -- 19. Religious Awakening in China under Communist Rule: A Political Economy Approach / Fenggang Yang -- 20. Native American Religious Traditions: A Sociological Approach / Dennis F. Kelley -- pt. VI GLOBALIZATION -- 21. Globalization and the Sociology of Religion / Lionel Obadia -- 22. Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements in a Global Perspective / Afe Adogame -- 23. Fundamentalism / Richard T. Antoun -- 24. Religion, Media, and Globalization / Jeremy Stolow -- 25. Toward a Sociology of Religious Commodification / Pattana Kitiarsa -- 26. Women and Piety Movements / Rachel Rinaldo -- 27. Religion and Nationalism: A Critical Re-examination / Genevieve Zubrzycki -- pt. VII FUTURE OF RELIGION -- 28. Future of Religion / Andrew Wernick -- 29. Religion in a Post-secular Society / Bryan S. Turner.