Religion as Theoretical Case, Lens, and Resource for Critique: Three Ways Social Theory Can Learn from the Study of Religion
Can social theory learn from religion? My answer is “yes, and in several ways.” But why and how religion matters for social theory depends in large part on what kind of theorizing one is trying to do. In this article, I focus on three different modes of theorizing—(1) the crafting of general explana...
| Subtitles: | SYMPOSIUM: Does Social Theory Need Religion? |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Oxford Univ. Press
[2016]
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| In: |
Sociology of religion
Year: 2016, Volume: 77, Issue: 3, Pages: 241-260 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Can social theory learn from religion? My answer is “yes, and in several ways.” But why and how religion matters for social theory depends in large part on what kind of theorizing one is trying to do. In this article, I focus on three different modes of theorizing—(1) the crafting of general explanations of social phenomena; (2) the development and application of a paradigmatic framework; and (3) the practice of normative societal assessment and critique—to highlight various ways religion has been and can continue to be useful and generative for social theory. Ultimately, I argue that while the sociology of religion was marginal to many of the general concerns of social theory in the recent past, today the subfield appears well positioned to become a central contributor. |
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| ISSN: | 1759-8818 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Sociology of religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1093/socrel/srw019 |