An Introduction to the Sociology of Religion

by Inger Furseth, Pål Repstad

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.

Genres: Sociology, Religion, Nonfiction, Theology

252 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2006

Reviews

[Mladen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and brief introduction to the Sociology of Religion. The language is fluid and easily readable while at the same time offering much info. Sometimes in these kinds of books, authors tend to repeat themselves from chapter to chapter but this is not the case here. It covers all of the classical and contemporary authors in an organized manner and gives brief overviews over certain spheres, religion influenced and still influences in today's society. A great variety of perspectives are included in the contemporary and classical part of the book. Finally, there's no lollygagging with adding unnecessary details and boring the reader. Basically, it's a good textbook.

[Titus Hjelm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid intro to sociology of religion. I especially liked the attempt to bring socrel closer to mainstream sociology. Starting with the classics, the focus is mostly on theory, which is also good. It's still of course very white and somewhat dated, but so are 90% of the intro books out there. Anew edition is on its way, so looking forward to that.

[Efena Otobo · Rating 5 out of 5]

An insightful, well-written summary of the different socio-economic systems that either celebrate self-interest or elitist control of resources or a mixture of disparate systems. If one wants an Introduction into the Sociology of religion, this book is perfect.

[Risalet]

I want to read this book for my PHD examination on 24 January 2021.

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read most of it for university, twas a solid introduction to the topic and very easy to understand.