THE SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION: CONSTRUCTING AN AGENDA

Sociologists of religion have a common aim: to understand better the interrelationships between religion in all its diverse forms and the contexts of which it is part. How this aim is realized, however, has not only evolved over time, but is manifestly different in different parts of the world.

The aim of this conference is to look more carefully at the agenda of the sociology of religion- it should not be taken for granted. It should, rather, be scrutinized with the aim of discovering who dictates the agenda and how and why it has shifted over time. Is it primarily reactive or proactive, for example? Is it, should it, or can it be value free?

Particular attention will be paid to the comparative nature of this task, asking why sociological communities from different parts of the world have taken up different aspects of the work, and how each might contribute more fully to the common task.

Papers are invited over a broad range of themes in the social scientific study of religion, some of which are listed below. The program will pay attention to theoretical, methodological, and substantive issues.

Changing theoretical perspectives

Innovative paradigms (e.g., multiple modernities)
Comparative approaches
Pressures from constituent groups (e.g., gender studies, minority studies, area studies)
Institutional pressures (academia, pastoral institutes, seminaries, etc.)
Cognate disciplines and interdisciplinary work
Methodological innovations (e.g., the use of text as data)
Emerging fields of study (e.g. Pentecostalism, reversed mission, aesthetics and the arts)
New geographical areas
Key people (those who have significantly changed the agenda)
New ways of being religious in the modern world ñ both ìhardî and ìsoftî forms of religion
Pressures of globalization, increased mobility, and the media
Key events, unexpected outcomes

Program Chair: Lina Molokotos-Liederman, e-mail: liederman5@aol.com

In order for you paper to be considered, it is necessary to be a member of ASR. See the ASR website: "http://www.sociologyofreligion.com" for membership information and other details.

Deadlines:

Submission of Session proposals: 15 January 2003
Submission of Abstracts: 15 February 2003