Linda Woodhead

Grace Davie

Paul Heelas

Religion in the contemporary west is undergoing rapid change. In Predicting Religion twenty experts in the study of religion present their predictions about the future of religion in the 21st century - predictions based on careful analysis of the contemporary religious scene from traditional forms of Christianity to new spiritualities. The range of predictions is broad. A number predict further secularization - with religion in the west seen as being in a state of terminal decline. Others question this approach and suggest that we are witnessing not decline but transformation understood in different ways: a shift from theism to pantheism, from outer to inner authority, from God to self-as-god, and above all from religion to spirituality. This accessible book on the contemporary religious scene offers students and scholars of the sociology of religion and theology, as well as interested general readers, fresh insights into the future of religion and spirituality in the west. Published in association with the British Sociological Association Study of Religion group, in the Ashgate Religion and Theology in Interdisciplinary Perspective series.

Christian, Secular and Alternative Futures

Predicting Religion

Religion in Britain evaluates and sheds light on the religious situation in twenty-first century Britain; it explores the country’s increasing secularity alongside religion’s growing presence in public debate, and the impact of this paradox on Britain’s society. Describes and explains the religious situation in twenty-first century Britain Based on the highly successful Religion in Britain Since 1945 (Blackwell, 1994) but extensively revised with the majority of the text re-written to reflect the current situation Investigates the paradox of why Britain has become increasingly secular and how religion is increasingly present in public debate compared with 20 years ago Explores the impact this paradox has on churches, faith communities, the law, politics, education, and welfare

A Persistent Paradox

Religion in Britain

Malcolm Cook

Modern France is an up-to-date and accessible introduction to the nature of French society at the end of the twentieth century. The book examines the transition of France and French life as the nation moves from an industrial to a post-industrial economy, and the cultural and social dislocations that such an evoltuion implies. Sociological concepts and categories of class, race, gender, age and region are discussed as well as how they combine together to produce inequalities and identities. These concepts are then applied to a range of issues such as work, politics, education, health, religion and leisure. Modern France reveals the nature of French society at a critical moment in her evolution and how a member of the European Union reflects distinctiveness and commonality in the development of Europe as a whole.

Society in Transition

Modern France

'Grace Davie is one of the best analysts of religion in contemporary sociology. This book caps a distinguished record of studies of religion - first of Britain, then of Europe, then globally. This is a magisterial work, which should be read by anyone interested in the place of religion in the modern world' - Peter L. Berger, Boston University 'This book offers both an expert survey of contemporary sociology of religion and the personal reflections of one of the leading scholars in the field. Grace Davie is a good model for students and their teachers: she is clear, engaging and fair minded but unafraid to express a point of view' -David Voas, University of Manchester 'Grace Davie has written a book about what is currently happening in the sociology of religion which is clear, accessible, devoid of jargon and authoritative. Though addressed to the educated reader, it also provides an ideal text for students... If you want expert guidance about what is going on in the sociology of religion, and to have useful indications about what is going on in religion on the global scene, this book does the job extremely well' - Theology Why is religion still important? Can we be fully modern and fully religious? The Sociology of Religion works at two levels. First it sets out the agenda - covering the key questions in the sociology of religion today. At the same time, it interrogates this agenda - asking if the sociology of religion, as we currently know it, is 'fit for purpose'. If not, what is to be done? This book: • describes the origins of the sociology of religion • demystifies secularization as a process and a theory • relates religion to modern social theory • unpacks the meaning of religion in relation to modernity and globalization • grasps the methodological challenges in the field • provides a comparative perspective for religions in the west • introduces questions of minorities and margins • sets out a critical agenda for debate and research. In a single volume, Grace Davie captures the nature and forms of modern religion, the current debates in the field and the prospects for future development.

The Sociology of Religion

Lucian N. Leustean

This authoritative collection offers a detailed overview of religious ideas, structures, and institutions in the making of Europe. Written by leading scholars in the field, it demonstrates the enduring presence of lived and institutionalized religion in the social networks of identity, policy, and power over two millennia of European history.

The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Europe

A new edition of a successful book from one of the biggest names in the field of the sociology of religion. The first edition is widely adopted and cited throughout the world, and readers will be keen to see this revised and updated version.

Grace Davie

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