The Sociology of Religion 1945-1989

A deliberately selective & analytic survey of the main organizations, journals, perspectives, themes, concepts, theories, & outstanding questions in the sociology of religion between 1945 & 1989. First, it is shown that the professional organizations of sociologists of religion had a variety of very different origins & commitments, & that their journals continue to reflect differing philosophies. At the same time, a process of increasing specialization is taking place within each national or linguistic community of scholars. Second, disputes about the definition of religion are irresoluble, but progress has been made in the conceptualization of various forms of "unofficial" religion & in the understanding of the relationships between politics & religion, as well as in the study of religious conversion, new religious movements, & fundamentalism. Third, developments in theory have included la sociologie religieuse (religious sociology), normative functionalism, various secularization scenarios, phenomenological interactionism, & a reorientation of Marxism. However, formal theorizing has been rare, & little attention has been paid to the emotional register of religious experience. Thus, while there are disagreements about the achievements of the sociology of religion, the field appears to be becoming more controversial, more contested, & more challenging. 120 References. AA