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February 8th, 2010

The emerging strong program in the sociology of religion

posted by David Smilde

Most sociologists of religion seem to agree on two things. First, that the growth of interest in religion—in academia, the media, and society at large—has been accompanied by an increasingly vigorous research agenda in the sub-discipline. And second, that the sociology of religion is currently in a period of paradigmatic reflection. While the “new paradigm” put forward by Stephan Warner in 1993 helped awaken the field from the “dogmatic slumber” into which it was lulled by secularization theory, scholars continue to reflect on the basic conceptualization of religion and religious practice, as well as on the nature of the relationship between religious practice, institutions, and the sociology of religion itself.

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February 5th, 2010

All used up

posted by David Kyuman Kim

February 3rd, 2010

A postsecular world society?: an interview with Jürgen Habermas

posted by Eduardo Mendieta

January 31st, 2010

Haiti and the unseen world

posted by Elizabeth McAlister

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February 3rd, 2010

A postsecular world society?: an interview with Jürgen Habermas

posted by Eduardo Mendieta

Jürgen Habermas

“The debate over the sociological thesis of secularization has led to a revision above all in respect to prognostic statements. On the one hand, the system of religion has become more differentiated and has limited itself to pastoral care, that is, it has largely lost other functions. On the other hand, there is no global connection between societal modernization and religion’s increasing loss of significance, a connection that would be so close that we could count on the disappearance of religion. … In any case, globally we have to count on the continuing vitality of world religions.”

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January 31st, 2010

Haiti and the unseen world

posted by Elizabeth McAlister

I find myself thinking about how crucial it is to engage in frank analysis about rebuilding Haiti in terms of the unseen world of hidden, covert, and sometimes illegal political and economic deals between both Haitians and Americans (and others) that have been instrumental in shaping the overlapping crises that Haitians confront.

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Featured discussion

The People of ChilmarkReconsidering civil religion

Scholars of religion, sociology, and political theory interrogate Robert Bellah’s 1967 thesis of an “American civil religion,” raising questions and proposing revisions regarding its viability in the contemporary context.

Featured publication

varietiesVarieties of Secularism in a Secular Age

In this forthcoming volume, edited by Michael Warner, Jonathan VanAntwerpen, and Craig Calhoun, a distinguished group of scholars chart the conversations in which Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age intervenes and address wider questions of secularism and secularity.

Featured interview

Feast of Santa AnitaGod was on everybody’s side

In conversation with David Kyuman Kim, Jean Comaroff discusses the abiding role of religion in her scholarship, the challenges and rewards of engaged pedagogy, and the ongoing political crisis brought about by the disintegration of state-sovereignty and the de-legitimation of traditional authorities.