The Blackwell Companion to Sociology of Religion

by Richard K. Fenn (Editor)

The Blackwell Companion to Sociology of Religion is presented in three comprehensive parts. Written by a range of outstanding academics, the volume explores the current status of the sociology of religion, and how it might look in future.

Genres: Nonfiction

512 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2000

Reviews

[Titus Hjelm]

Two stars for the predictably good chapters by Beckford, Beyer, Bruce, Demerath and some others. The rest… it’s bizarre, really. First, this is not a handbook. Handbooks, as I understand them, are supposed to be overviews of a field that cover the central questions, discuss the central theories and, possibly, provide some empirical illustrations. With the exception of the couple of chapters mentioned above, the book does none of this. There are case studies and personal musings, which some people might find interesting, but as for mapping sociology of religion, they accomplish little. Second, the book is not about sociology. Again, the abovementioned authors’ chapters are prime examples of sociological work on religion. But then there are theological chapters and one completely bizarre chapter on psychoanalysis and dreams. Now, I’m not a proponent of disciplinary purity by any means, but *some* connection to central concerns of sociology of religion would be good to have in a handbook carrying the title. The strained editorial commentaries are a good indicator of how all over the place the book really is. The commissioning editor must have been sleeping through the production process. After finally finishing this book, I am not surprised that the new edition is a completely different thing.

[Echo]

some good references and introductions to the subfield but over-long, boring, and bogged down by unimportant tangents and rants