Table Of ContentA Sociology of Seeking
A response to the depletion of the rhetoric of sociology and the spiritual capital
of theology, this volume explores the remains of Christianity that still lurk as
portents in a progressively de-Christianised society seeking replacements for
belief. With the sociologist set in the role of an oracle seeking traces of
Christianity in a discipline in which the intrusion of theological understandings
has become harder to resist, it offers a narrative of belief following the direction
of an exemplary portent: the finger. Through the exploration of broad trends in
culture and modern history, this study, informed by interactionist thought,
examines both the place of sociology in Christian theology, and the failure of
theology to connect to its surrounding culture, asking how the two disciplines
might meld profitably together. As such, it will appeal to social theorists and
theologians, as well as sociologists with interests in religion, culture and
secularisation.
Kieran Flanagan is Senior Research Fellow in the School of Sociology, Politics
and International Studies at the University of Bristol, UK. He is the author of:
Sociological Noir: Irruptions and the Darkness of Modernity (2017); Sociology in
Theology: Reflexivity and Belief (2007); Seen and Unseen: Visual Culture,
Sociology and Theology (2004); The Enchantment of Sociology: A Study of
Theology and Culture (1996); Sociology and Liturgy: Re-presentations of the
Holy (1991); and co-editor with Peter C. Jupp of: Sociology of Spirituality
(2007); Virtue Ethics and Sociology: Issues of Modernity and Religion (2001);
and Postmodernity, Sociology and Religion (1996).
Classical and Contemporary Social Theory
Series Editor: Stjepan G. Mestrovic, Texas A&M University, USA
Classical and Contemporary Social Theory publishes rigorous scholarly work
that re-discovers the relevance of social theory for contemporary times,
demonstrating the enduring importance of theory for modern social issues.
The series covers social theory in a broad sense, inviting contributions on
both 'classical' and modern theory, thus encompassing sociology, without
being confined to a single discipline. As such, work from across the social
sciences is welcome, provided that volumes address the social context of par
ticular issues, subjects, or figures and offer new understandings of social rea
lity and the contribution of a theorist or school to our understanding of it.
The series considers significant new appraisals of established thinkers or
schools, comparative works or contributions that discuss a particular social
issue or phenomenon in relation to the work of specific theorists or theoretical
approaches. Contributions are welcome that assess broad strands of thought
within certain schools or across the work of a number of thinkers, but always
with an eye toward contributing to contemporary understandings of social
issues and contexts.
Titles in this series:
A Sociology of Seeking
Portents of Belief
Kieran Flanagan
True Believers and the Great Replacement
Understanding Anomie and Alienation
Alf Walle
The Concept of Tragedy
Its Importance for the Social Sciences in Unsettled Times
Sam Han
For more information about this series, please visit:
https://www.routledge.com/sociology/series/ASHSER1383
A Sociology of Seeking
Portents of Belief
Kieran Flanagan
Designed cover image: Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness, oil on
canvas, Michele Desubleo (circa 1601–1676); currently held at the National
Gallery of Ireland. Reproduction of a public domain work from Wikimedia
Commons.
First published 2023
by Routledge
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Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2023 Kieran Flanagan
The right of Kieran Flanagan to be identified as author of this work has
been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
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without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Flanagan, Kieran, 1944-author.
Title: A sociology of seeking: portents of belief / Kieran Flanagan.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge, 2022. |
Series: Classical and contemporary social theory |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2022038505 | ISBN 9781032322803 (hbk) |
ISBN 9781032322810 (pbk) | ISBN 9781003314271 (ebk)
Subjects: LCSH: Christian sociology. | Belief and doubt. |
God (Christianity)--Knowableness.
Classification: LCC BT738 .F4986 2022 | DDC 261.8--dc23/eng/20221121
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022038505
ISBN: 978-1-032-32280-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-032-32281-0 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-31427-1 (ebk)
DOI: 10.4324/9781003314271
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Taylor & Francis Books
To my (very) lively and well-read grandnieces and grandnephews:
Arthur, Conn, Freya, Hazel, Luisa and Milo
Contents
Acknowledgements viii
Prologue 1
1 Prophets and oracles: Zeitgeist and a sociology of indeterminacy 19
2 Change and decay: Missing something missing 74
3 Religion: A concept of no fixed abode 119
4 Images and icons: The ocular dilemmas of the state 164
5 The finger: A portent of sociological deliverance 217
Epilogue 263
Bibliography 273
Index 290
Acknowledgements
Compared to other studies, which seemed to have legions to acknowledge,
this study had very few to mention. Perhaps this reflected the few working in
this comparatively unexplored area of sociology in theology. The small
number to be noted might also reflect the isolation resulting from coronavirus,
the proneness of academics to home working, and the difficulties of finding
conference and seminar outlets to network and to make contact. But that
said, those acknowledged below made substantial contributions to the study
and to its completion, for which I am most grateful.
Without the support from Neil Jordan, Senior Editor at Routledge, the
journey of this text would have been hazardous to put it mildly. He was
meticulous, fought for the cover, and was ever patient with anxious emails
and memos. The second thanks goes to the anonymous reviewer who saw the
wood from many trees in the proposal and whose candour forced out a much
better and more focused work. His report was indispensable. Thirdly, the late
Michael Liversidge, Emeritus Dean, well supplied with espresso coffee, was
the model of a generous scholar who shared many insights into the history of
art that underpinned this trio of works. As always, I am extremely grateful to
Peter C. Jupp for his generous, careful, insightful and supportive reading of
the manuscript. Finally, Cecily Blench was a wonderful copy-editor to have
on the manuscript and I am very grateful for her attention to detail. Needless
to say, any mistakes left are my responsibility.
My colleague at the University of Bristol, now retired, William Watts Miller,
provided many pointers to the works of Durkheim and also generated an interest
in the French Revolution which led to Chapter 4’s concerns with the Festival of
the Supreme Being. Paul Hill, an icon painter at Clifton Cathedral, Bristol, put
me on to the schism of the Old Brethren in the Russian Orthodox Church. Fr.
Michael Robertson had his usual gift of intuiting what I should look at in the
course of this work and its predecessors. My brother Brian made patient enqui
ries about the book’s progress which I dedicate to his grandchildren. A Senior
Research Fellowship at the University of Bristol, attached to the School of
Sociology, Politics and International Studies greatly facilitated the work.
A French sociologist, commenting on previous works, declared that ‘they
stank of incense’. Given the involvement in Clifton Cathedral, it is hardly
Acknowledgements ix
surprising that much of this smoke has drifted into this particular work. The
support and framework of Clifton Cathedral, Bristol, its clergy, priests and
deacons and its congregation kept Catholic spirits up at a time when the mass
media either ignored these or sought to bring them down. Compared to an
Anglican cathedral, Clifton Catholic Cathedral runs on an administrative
shoestring of staff and volunteers. Special mention should be made of the
Dean, Canon Bosco MacDonald, who coped with equanimity with fire, roof
leaks, major refurbishments and coronavirus, besides the ‘normal’ round of
masses, funerals, baptisms and weddings. Mary Manners, the cathedral
administrator, indefatigable, witty and hyper-efficient in coping with an
astonishing range of demands on her time, was another beacon for this work.
Roberto Maestri, Transfer team leader, Welsh Ambulance Service, was a
cheerful prop for the study. My ‘liturgical side-kick’, he was told to ‘offer
things up’ when any, or few, misadventures occurred on the sanctuary.
Immersion in the liturgical practice of such a cathedral offset any sense of
gloom or despond in writing this work and kept my feet on the ground. Too
much of belief was seen there over 40 years to render unbelief credible.
Lastly, the support of Carlo Acutis, looking after the computer and printer,
and Luigi Sturzo’saffirmation of the pursuit of sociology into theology sustained
the writing of the study in ways that should advance the cause for their canoni
sation. It is a matter of record that the study was actually completed, finally, on
the feast day below.
Kieran Flanagan
The Birthday of Saint John the Baptist
23rd June 2022
