Sociology of Religion: Overview and Analysis of Contemporary Religion

235 Pages·2020·15.55 MB·English

by  Abby Day

Sociology of Religion

The first sociology of religion textbook to begin the task of diversifying and decolonizing the study
of religion, Sociology of Religion develops a sociological frame that draws together the personal,
political and public, showing how religion – its origins, development and changes – is understood as
a social institution, influenced by and influencing wider social structures.
Organized along sociological structures and themes, the book works with examples from a var-
iety of religious traditions and regions rather than focusing in depth on a selection, and foregrounds
cultural practice- based understandings of religion. It is therefore a book about ‘religion’, not
‘religions’, that explores the relationship of religion with gender and sexuality, crime and violence,
generations, politics and media, ‘race’, ethnicity and social class, disease and disability – highlighting
the position of religion in social justice and equality.
Each chapter of this book is framed around concrete case studies from a variety of Western and
non- Western religious traditions. Students will benefit from thinking about the discipline across a
range of geographical and religious contexts. The book includes features designed to engage and
inspire students:
• Up-to-date and comprehensive analysis of engaging and accessible material
• ‘Case Examples’: short summaries of empirical examples relating to the chapter themes
• Visually distinct boxes with bullet points, key words and phrases focusing on the context
• Questions suitable for private or seminar study
• Suggested class exercises for instructors to use
• Suggested readings and further readings/ online resources at the end of each chapter
Following a review and critique of early sociology of religion, the book engages with more contem-
porary issues, such as dissolving the secular/s acred binary and paying close attention to issues of
epistemology, negotiations, marginalities, feminisms, identities, power, nuances, globalization, (post)
(multiple) modernity (ies), emotion, structuration, reflexivity, intersectionality and urbanization.
This book is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students exploring the sociology
of religion, religion and society, religious studies, theology, globalization and human geography.
Abby Day is a Professor of Race, Faith and Culture in the Department of Sociology at Goldsmiths,
University of London. She is also an international expert in the social scientific study of con-
temporary religion with particular interests in gender, generations, ethnicity and in decolonizing
knowledge. She is a trustee of the Sociological Review, an editorial board member of Religion,
peer reviewer for several journals and funding agencies, and past Chair of the British Sociological
Association’s religion section.

Sociology of Religion

Overview and Analysis of
Contemporary Religion
Abby Day
First published 2020
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2020 Abby Day
The right of Abby Day to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her 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 utilised
in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or
hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks,
and are used only for identification and explanation 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: Day, Abby, 1956– author.
Title: Sociology of religion: overview and analysis of contemporary religion / Abby Day.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon; New York: Routledge, 2021. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020039470 (print) | LCCN 2020039471 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780367151874 (hardback) | ISBN 9780367151911 (paperback) |
ISBN 9780429055591 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Religion and sociology–Textbooks.
Classification: LCC BL60.D37 2021 (print) | LCC BL60 (ebook) |
DDC 306.6–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020039470
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020039471
ISBN: 978-0 -3 67-1 5187-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0 -3 67-1 5191-1 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0 -4 29-0 5559-1 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Newgen Publishing UK
Contents

Preface vii

PART I
Mapping the field 1

1 What is a sociology of religion? 3

2 How do we know what we know? 20

3 The contemporary religious landscape: retreat, reinvention
and resurgence 38

PART II
Religion and its publics 57

4 Politics and religion 59

5 Violence and crime 75

6 Policing religion: religious equality, social justice and the law 89

PART III
Contested borders 105

7 Gender and sexuality 107

8 Generations 125

9 ‘Race’, ethnicity, social class 142
vi Contents
PART IV
Is nothing, or everything, sacred? 159

10 Religion and media 161

11 Disease, disability and the religious response 178

12 Future religion: nones and beyond 194

Index 214
Preface

As one of the most important social forces in any society, religion is both visible and
invisible, accepted and rejected, feared and desired. Its ideas, beliefs, values and practices
inspire people to perform great, and often terrible, acts. Armies are mobilized and stood
down, money spent and withdrawn, treasures amassed and stolen, human rights awarded
and transgressed, citizens empowered and subjugated, governments elected and over-
thrown, health and sickness addressed and ignored, natural environments protected and
destroyed, all in the name of religion.
As this book went to press, the world was shuddering with the horrific impact of a
pandemic. Lives, livelihoods, faiths and certainties were shattered. Some religious leaders
sought to help and calm people; others stoked divisions and encouraged false cures. And
yet, not enough people understand how to interpret religion’s public or even political role
or how to work within a complex socio-r eligious, multi-f aith, multi-i dentity world. Who,
then, will help repair the damage religions often create, or work with them to help resolve
wider societal problems? Perhaps you will.
Readers of this book are interested in religion’s relationship with such issues as social
justice, politics, human rights, economies, public goods and media. This book is designed
to help students, often new to the subject of religion and sociology more widely, to use a
sociological imagination to understand religion’s social influence and role. The chapters
are designed to identify practical examples and use contemporary theories to help
understand them.
The text’s sociological frame draws together the personal, political and public, showing
how religion – its origins, development and changes – is understood as a social institution,
influenced by and influencing wider social structures. Organized by sociological structures
and themes, the book works with examples from a variety of religious traditions rather than
focusing in depth on a selection, and foregrounds cultural practice- based understandings
of religion. It is therefore a textbook about ‘religion’, not ‘religions’.
The book develops argument and evidence to provide necessary description to
enliven ideas, offer in- depth knowledge from numerous sources, create a comparative,
problematising schema and suggest several ways forward. Attention to agency and struc-
ture, legitimations, history, reproductions, power and economy are important components
of a ‘sociological imagination’. Readers will engage with contemporary issues, such as
dissolving the secular/s acred binary and paying close attention to issues of epistem-
ology, negotiations, ‘race’, feminisms, identities, sexualities, power, nuances, globalisation,
(post) (multiple) modernity (ies), emotion, structuration, reflexivity, intersectionality and
urbanization.
viii Preface
Further, in response to widespread and increasing critiques, many universities now
conduct detailed course reviews to ensure curricula, approaches, styles, readings and
theories reflect diverse populations. A new criterion that is gaining attention is what
is sometimes known as liberating, or decolonializing, the curriculum. That means
including authors who have been historically muted: women, people of colour, scholars
from emerging economies. As a white, middle-c lass cis woman I speak from an unfair,
privileged position, and I try to address that. I hope that process is reflected in the
textbook as I have worked hard to review all themes to extend the usual bibliographic
sources and case studies. All first names are included in the bibliography to make more
apparent the author’s assigned or acquired gender. The reason for this is both practical
and ethical: knowledge is enriched through widening the scope and I recognize that
the dominance of white men within the discipline, and higher education more widely,
reflects gender and racial inequality more generally. This causes structural problems and
micro- aggressions for students and staff from other backgrounds and impoverishes the
knowledge we create.1
Chapter themes, style and content are derived from my own national and inter-
national lectures and publications on religion (sociological and anthropological) during
the last 20 years, a comprehensive analysis of sociology of religion programmes at uni-
versities worldwide, a recent review of texts used for teaching the sociology of religion
and detailed, constructive feedback from anonymous peer reviewers.
The theories included here, like any theory, are open to revision. A critical reading of
theory, and any evidence that underpins it, is necessary and forms an important part of
academic work. Criticality is a task and skill expected of scholars and students in any
field. Right now, that is more important than ever. But how do you do it? Most students
new to the field may be perplexed by their lecturers’ demands to be critical, and so I have
written this book with that in mind throughout, always asking questions, pointing to
potential flaws, suggesting the reader thinks more.
The theory that is presented to university students on courses will be in lecture, book
and journal paper form. Most new students will have never seen a ‘journal paper’. That
is because academic publishing is a niche operation for academics who want to get their
ideas and research read by other academics. The journal articles are long, upwards of
7,000 words, written in formal prose and in a language familiar to other academics, but
not to new students. The chapters here work with material from both books and journals
and the extended bibliography points readers to the source. If students decide to follow
the suggestions and read from the bibliography, my advice is to try not to panic. The
first time you read one of these academic journal papers it will be unfamiliar and may be
confusing, but in time you will become accustomed to it. Start slowly, check new terms
and ask yourself throughout: what is this paper about? What are the key points? Where
is the evidence? Why does it matter?
Chapters in this book relate to each other, and readers will often see cross- references.
Some teachers may present an individual chapter to be read in isolation, and the book
has been written to allow that to happen fairly seamlessly.
My potential list of people to acknowledge became so lengthy and unwieldy that I no
longer knew where to start or end. Perhaps that is the greatest feeling of thanks – I’m so
lucky to have had so many research participants, students, colleagues, co-a uthors/ editors,
book contributors, friends, publishers, reviewers and other professional associates who
have all been so generous and so interesting, wise and often funny over the years.
newgenprepdf
Preface ix
Word length would never permit me to list them all, and then I would await with
dread the realization that I had left someone off the list. Cowardly, perhaps, but I will
restrict these published thanks to those specific individuals at institutions I joined as
my career developed from student to author, researcher and teacher, first at Lancaster
University, then Birkbeck, University of London, University of Sussex, University of
Kent and Goldsmiths, University of London. For consistent and outstanding intellec-
tual and emotional support my thanks to Linda Woodhead, Hiroko Kawanami, Simon
Coleman, Gordon Lynch, Jeremy Carrette, Adam Dinham, Bev Skeggs, David Oswell,
Vikki Bell and Dan Nyland.
Finally, this book would never have been written had Routledge Commissioning
Editor Emily Briggs not approached me initially and then supported my conviction that
it should be transparently assertive with a widening, de-c olonizing agenda. Undoubtedly,
there is more work to be done and I look forward to readers’ critiques and suggestions.
I am grateful to her, Lakshita Joshi, Jane Robson, and all colleagues at Routledge for
their professional expertise. I am also grateful to Alex Peters-Day for detailed editorial
assistance and advice, and to Dr Kim Harding and Dr Danny Zschomler for providing
additional literature reviews and analysis on topics of politics, disability and secular
supernatural. Any errors or omissions that remain are wholly my responsibility.
Abby Day
Goldsmiths, University of London
August 2020
Note

1 For a review of practical steps being taken in universities, see Abby Day, Lois Lee, David
Thomas and James Spickard (eds), Doing Diversity in Academia: Practices and Pitfalls.
Bristol: Bristol University Press.