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"Religion and sociology"
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Sociology of the sacred : religion, embodiment and social change
Drawing on classical and contemporary social theory, Sociology of the Sacred presents a bold and original account of how interactions between religious and secular forms of the sacred underpin major conflicts in the world today, and illuminate broader patterns of social and cultural change inherent to global modernity.--Provided by publisher.
Book
The American Soul Rush
Yoga. Humanistic Psychology. Meditation. Holistic Healing. These
practices are commonplace today. Yet before the early 1960s they
were atypical options for most people outside of the upper class or
small groups of educated spiritual seekers. Esalen Institute, a
retreat for spiritual and personal growth in Big Sur, California,
played a pioneering role in popularizing quests for
self-transformation and personalized spirituality. This \"soul rush\"
spread quickly throughout the United States as the Institute made
ordinary people aware of hundreds of ways to select, combine, and
revise their beliefs about the sacred and to explore diverse
mystical experiences. Millions of Americans now identify themselves
as spiritual, not religious, because Esalen paved the way for them
to explore spirituality without affiliating with established
denominations The American Soul Rush explores the concept of
spiritual privilege and Esalen's foundational influence on the
growth and spread of diverse spiritual practices that affirm
individuals' self-worth and possibilities for positive personal
change. The book also describes the people, narratives, and
relationships at the Institute that produced persistent, almost
accidental inequalities in order to illuminate the ways that gender
is central to religion and spirituality in most contexts.
eBook
The modern spirit of Asia
The Modern Spirit of Asiachallenges the notion that modernity in China and India are derivative imitations of the West, arguing that these societies have transformed their ancient traditions in unique and distinctive ways. Peter van der Veer begins with nineteenth-century imperial history, exploring how Western concepts of spirituality, secularity, religion, and magic were used to translate the traditions of India and China. He traces how modern Western notions of religion and magic were incorporated into the respective nation-building projects of Chinese and Indian nationalist intellectuals, yet how modernity in China and India is by no means uniform. While religion is a centerpiece of Indian nationalism, it is viewed in China as an obstacle to progress that must be marginalized and controlled.
The Modern Spirit of Asiamoves deftly from Kandinsky's understanding of spirituality in art to Indian yoga and Chinese qi gong, from modern theories of secularism to histories of Christian conversion, from Orientalist constructions of religion to Chinese campaigns against magic and superstition, and from Muslim Kashmir to Muslim Xinjiang. Van der Veer, an outspoken proponent of the importance of comparative studies of religion and society, eloquently makes his case in this groundbreaking examination of the spiritual and the secular in China and India.
eBook
Understanding Religion
A cutting-edge introduction to contemporary religious
studies theory, connecting theory to data. This innovative
coursebook introduces students to interdisciplinary theoretical
tools for understanding contemporary religiously diverse
societies-both Western and non-Western. Using a case-study model,
the text considers:
A wide and diverse array of contemporary issues, questions, and
critical approaches to the study of religion relevant to students
and scholars
A variety of theoretical approaches, including decolonial,
feminist, hermeneutical, poststructuralist, and phenomenological
analyses
Current debates on whether the term \"religion\" is
meaningful
Many key issues about the study of religion, including the
insider-outsider debate, material religion, and lived religion
Plural and religiously diverse societies, including the
theological ideas of traditions and the political and social
questions that arise for those living alongside adherents of other
religions
Understanding Religion is designed to provide a strong
foundation for instructors to explore the ideas presented in each
chapter in multiple ways, engage students in meaningful activities
in the classroom, and integrate additional material into their
lectures. Students will gain the tools to apply specific methods
from a variety of disciplines to analyze the social, political,
spiritual, and cultural aspects of religions. Its unique
pedagogical design means it can be used from undergraduate- to
postgraduate-level courses.
eBook
Everyday sacred : religion in contemporary Quebec
\"Over the last decade there has been ongoing public discussion about religion in Quebecois society, which flared up again following the proposed Charter of Quebec Values in 2014. Everyday Sacred emerged during this active and sometimes tense period of debate. Each of its chapters provides a textured, localized study that is attentive to complexity and multivocality-both in terms of people's experiences of religion and more broadly with regard to conventional categories in the study of religion. Major themes across the chapters include: the dynamics of intergenerational transmission and institutionalism; the intersection of religion/secularism with claims of a 'distinctive' identity; the bodily and material aspects of religion; the impact of gender on internal community dynamics and debates in the public sphere; and the rise of more flexible religious hybridity and sociality that emphasize new technologies in transnational or online networks. Through these themes, contributors define religion more holistically, troubling familiar dichotomies between Catholics and the rest, \"founding\" and immigrant religions, \"New Religious Movements\" and traditional institutions. As the first English-language volume devoted to examining religion in contemporary Quebec, Everyday Sacred marks the beginning of a more sustained conversation between scholars of contemporary religion, inside and outside la belle province.\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
Chinese Popular Religion in Text and Acts
This volume explores practices and experiences in Chinese popular religion. The research adds new materials and new approaches to well-known worships such as the cults of doomsday, underworld, and Lord Guan on the one hand, and draws attention to under-the-radar deities and holy figures hiding in the mountainous countryside or among the urban crowd. While this book centers on Chinese popular religion, it will be of use to non-China scholars in folklore, religious art, and ritual studies as well as China scholars in popular culture from late-medieval to contemporary times.
eBook
An Introduction to the Sociology of Religion
Is it true that religion is weakening in modern times, or are we facing religious resurgence? What is fundamentalism? How does it emerge and grow? What role does religion play in ethnic and national conflicts? Is religion a fundamental driving force or do political leaders use religion for their own purposes? Do all religions oppress women? These are some of the questions addressed in this book. An Introduction to the Sociology of Religion provides an overview of sociological theories of contemporary religious life. Some chapters are organized according to topic. Others offer brief presentations of classical and contemporary sociologists from Karl Marx to Zygmunt Bauman and their perspectives on social life, including religion. Throughout the book, illustrations and examples are taken from several religious traditions.
Contents: Foreword; Sociological perspectives on religion; Religion as a phenomenon - definitions and dimensions; Classical sociologists and their theories of religion; Religion in contemporary sociology and cultural analysis; The great narratives: modernity, postmodernity, globalization, and secularization; Religion in the public sphere; Individual religiosity; Religious organizations and movements; Religion, social unity, and conflict; Race, ethnicity, and religion; Religion and gender; Sociology, theology, and religious faith; Bibliography; Index.
Dr Inger Furseth is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and Human Geography at the University of Oslo. She is the author of A Comparative Study of Social and Religious Movements in Norway 1780s-1905 (2003, Mellen Press). Her research centres on religious diversity, gender issues, social theory, and social and religious movements. Dr PÃ¥l Repstad is Professor in Sociology of Religion at Agder University College, Norway. He has conducted research and published in the fields of sociology of religion, social policy, and sociological methods. He is also the editor of Religion and Modernity. Modes of Co-Existence (1996, Scandinavian University Press).
eBook