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The past decades have seen an intensification of debate around migrants, gender and sexuality. For the Netherlands, several authors have pointed out how this has given rise to a form of sexual nationalism whereby the idea of being a modern, progressive country is strongly linked to a program of liberal sexual values and offset against a presumably 'backward' migrant who is 'still' religious and traditional. In this article, the author analyses how these dynamics played out in the controversy around HIV-healings or homo healings supposedly taking place in Pentecostal churches in Amsterdam. Media attention highlighted the theme of homosexuality while forgetting the interests of women. This article shows that the sexual nationalism scheme was also operative here, and proposes further developing existing approaches as intersectional 'post-secularist' sociological perspectives aimed at unearthing the ways narratives of modernity, secularization and sexual nationalism structure attitudes towards migrant and religious actors both in social scientific research agendas and among societal actors.

Die Ringvorlesung "Rückkehr der Religion oder säkulare Kultur? Kultur- und Religionssoziologie heute" am Institut für Soziologie der Freien Universität Berlin (Sommersemester 2006) war Grundlage für den vorliegenden gleichnamigen Band. Die Autoren behandeln zunächst allgemeine soziologische Fragen in Bezug auf "Universalität und Territorialität", um sich dann spezifischer mit den Bereichen der Kultursoziologie, der Religionssoziologie und abschließend mit der Frage nach "Kultur und Religion – zu ihrem Sitz im Leben" zu beschäftigen. Trotz unterschiedlicher Themenschwerpunkte und Herangehensweisen ist allen Beiträgen die Fragestellung nach der Positionierung des Faches Soziologie in der Wissenschaft inhärent. Durch den Band wird es Studierenden der Kultur- und Religionssoziologie sowie Studierenden der Soziologie und Religionswissenschaften möglich, einen Überblick über die verschiedenen Themenfelder der Soziologie in Bezug auf Religion und Kultur zu bekommen, der bei Interesse anhand der ausführlichen Literaturangaben am Ende jedes Aufsatzes vertieft werden kann. ; This volume is based on the eponymous lecture series ("Come-back of Religion or Secular Culture? Sociology of Culture and Religion Today") that took place at the Freie Universität Berlin's Institute of Sociology in summer 2006. After laying out some general issues pertaining to 'universality' and 'territoriality', the authors focus on specific challenges confronting the sociologies of culture and religion. Finally, they analyse the place of culture and religion in our lives. The articles cover a variety of themes and methodologies, but each addresses the inherent question: What is the position of sociology in the sciences?This volume is recommended for students seeking an overview of current issues in the sociology of religion and culture, and includes bibliographies to guide more in-depth research.

Seit etwa zwei Jahrzehnten lässt sich ein Aufschwung der religionssoziologischen Arbeit in Deutschland beobachten. Der Artikel gibt einen Überblick über die Entwicklung der Religionssoziologie in Deutschland von 1945 bis zur Gegenwart, stellt Hauptströmungen der deutschen Religionssoziologie dar, identifiziert Grundprobleme, die in den religionssoziologischen Debatten immer wieder behandelt werden, und benennt Aufgaben für die zukünftige religionssoziologische Forschung. Die Entwicklung der Religionssoziologie wird in drei Perioden eingeteilt. Die kirchensoziologische Phase findet ihren Abschluss in der ersten Hälfte der 1960er Jahre durch die Kritik Thomas Luckmanns, Joachim Matthes' und Trutz Rendtorffs am reduktionistischen Ansatz der Kirchensoziologie. Nach der 'neoklassischen' Periode der 70er Jahre, in der theoretische Großentwürfe (Privatisierungsthese, Systemtheorie, Christentumssoziologie sowie Kritische Theorie) dominierten und empirische Forschungen ein Schattendasein fristeten, bemüht sich die Religionssoziologie seit den 1990er Jahren stärker um eine Verklammerung von Theorie und Empirie. In Aufnahme älterer religionssoziologischer Grundprobleme wie der Frage nach der Bestimmung des Religionsbegriffes oder der Abwägung der Bedeutung von Säkularisierungs- und Individualisierungsprozessen kommt sie seitdem mehr und mehr zu einer Neubewertung des Stellenwerts von Religion in modernen Gesellschaften, deren dynamisches Potential zunehmend wieder entdeckt wird. ; We can observe an upswing of the research work in the sociology of religion in Germany over the last two decades. The article provides an overview about the development of the German sociology of religion from 1945 upwards, describes its main tendencies, defines basic problems present in the debates of the discipline and identifies tasks to be dealt with in prospective research work. The article divides the development of the sociology of religion in Germany into three periods. The phase of the sociology of church starts in the fifties and ends in the first half of the 1960ties with Thomas Luckmann's, Joachim Matthes' and Trutz Rendtorff's criticism of the reductionism of the sociology of church. Theoretical grand narratives like the theory of privatization, system's theory, the sociology of Christendom and the Frankfurt school of Critical theory dominated in the 1970ties whereas empirical research work in that period remained rather unnoticed. Since the 1990ties sociology of religion more and more has been trying to combine theoretical considerations and empirical analyses. By taking up older basic problems such as defining religion or judging the significance of secularization and individualization the discipline is undergoing a reevaluation of the social relevance of religion in modern societies rediscovering its dynamic potential.

With a clear statement of the theoretical issues in the debates about secularization and post-secularism, Religion and the State: A Comparative Sociology considers a number of major case studies from China, Europe, Singapore and South Asia in order to understand the rise of public religions in the modern state. By distinguishing between political secularization the separation of state and religion and social secularization the transformation of the everyday practice of religion this volume offers an integrating framework within which to analyze these different societies.

This paper analyzes Peter Berger's theory of secularization, its main arguments and recent developments in general described as the theory of desecularization. The first part of the text examines Berger's theory of religion as the sacred canopy and secularization as the process in which religious symbols and institutions loose their dominance in the contemporary society. The second part focuses on the recent developments in Berger's theory of secularization which is usually described as the theory of desecularization, its main arguments and factors. The third part presents arguments of main critique (Steve Bruce) and supporters (Grace Davie, Danièle Hervieu-Leger) of recent developments within Berger's theory of secularization. The paper ends with the generalizing insights into Berger's secularization and desecularization theories and their application for contemporary societies. The author concludes that desecularization theory should be tested within the societies of the new member states of the European Union; she also emphasizes that Berger's classical distinction between objective and subjective secularization remains useful tool for the analysis of religion in contemporary society.

This paper analyzes Peter Berger's theory of secularization, its main arguments and recent developments in general described as the theory of desecularization. The first part of the text examines Berger's theory of religion as the sacred canopy and secularization as the process in which religious symbols and institutions loose their dominance in the contemporary society. The second part focuses on the recent developments in Berger's theory of secularization which is usually described as the theory of desecularization, its main arguments and factors. The third part presents arguments of main critique (Steve Bruce) and supporters (Grace Davie, Danièle Hervieu-Leger) of recent developments within Berger's theory of secularization. The paper ends with the generalizing insights into Berger's secularization and desecularization theories and their application for contemporary societies. The author concludes that desecularization theory should be tested within the societies of the new member states of the European Union; she also emphasizes that Berger's classical distinction between objective and subjective secularization remains useful tool for the analysis of religion in contemporary society.

This paper analyzes Peter Berger's theory of secularization, its main arguments and recent developments in general described as the theory of desecularization. The first part of the text examines Berger's theory of religion as the sacred canopy and secularization as the process in which religious symbols and institutions loose their dominance in the contemporary society. The second part focuses on the recent developments in Berger's theory of secularization which is usually described as the theory of desecularization, its main arguments and factors. The third part presents arguments of main critique (Steve Bruce) and supporters (Grace Davie, Danièle Hervieu-Leger) of recent developments within Berger's theory of secularization. The paper ends with the generalizing insights into Berger's secularization and desecularization theories and their application for contemporary societies. The author concludes that desecularization theory should be tested within the societies of the new member states of the European Union; she also emphasizes that Berger's classical distinction between objective and subjective secularization remains useful tool for the analysis of religion in contemporary society.

Religion plays an important role in contemporary politics, both as a public and political actor, and as set of values. As a public actor, religion widely participates in the political spheres of European countries. At the same time, both European and non-European societies are experiencing a profound reshaping of their political landscapes. In these contexts, it has become clear that new modes of governance redraw the boundaries between institutional actors and citizens, and create space for horizontal and/or transnational networks. Today, the separation between religion and politics is being questioned more or less radically, and the meaning and the substance of democracy likewise. This special issue aims to offer a wide range of examples of studies focusing on the interactions between religion and politics from different disciplinary perspectives and scientific traditions. Ranging from single case studies to transnational comparative analyses, from sociology of religion to political science, and from the analysis of specific religious traditions to comparative studies, the articles presented offer a useful insight of topics and debates. This heterogeneity allows the readers to have an overview on some of the most important religious actors (movements, associations, groups and, parties in contemporary democracies, such as Christian traditional parties in Europe and the US, Islamist groups in Turkey and in Pakistan. At the same time, this collection of article shows different approaches through which is possible to analyse these movements, such as cross-country comparative approaches, comparison between different cases of religious groups' collective action within the same national contexts or in the same urban area, or in-depth case studies of the specific role of religious groups in a broader national mobilization. The common element of these different contributions is the objective of looking at the complex relationships between religious organizations (both movements and parties) and political mobilizations, and analysing the religious factor neither as a mere effect of conflicts driven by non-religious factors, such as economic or utilitarian motives, nor as essentialist phenomena driven by non-rational logics of action.

Religion plays an important role in contemporary politics, both as a public and political actor, and as set of values. As a public actor, religion widely participates in the political spheres of European countries. At the same time, both European and non-European societies are experiencing a profound reshaping of their political landscapes. In these contexts, it has become clear that new modes of governance redraw the boundaries between institutional actors and citizens, and create space for horizontal and/or transnational networks. Today, the separation between religion and politics is being questioned more or less radically, and the meaning and the substance of democracy likewise. This special issue aims to offer a wide range of examples of studies focusing on the interactions between religion and politics from different disciplinary perspectives and scientific traditions. Ranging from single case studies to transnational comparative analyses, from sociology of religion to political science, and from the analysis of specific religious traditions to comparative studies, the articles presented offer a useful insight of topics and debates. This heterogeneity allows the readers to have an overview on some of the most important religious actors (movements, associations, groups and, parties in contemporary democracies, such as Christian traditional parties in Europe and the US, Islamist groups in Turkey and in Pakistan. At the same time, this collection of article shows different approaches through which is possible to analyse these movements, such as cross-country comparative approaches, comparison between different cases of religious groups' collective action within the same national contexts or in the same urban area, or in-depth case studies of the specific role of religious groups in a broader national mobilization. The common element of these different contributions is the objective of looking at the complex relationships between religious organizations (both movements and parties) and political mobilizations, ...

The specific contribution of the book Marcel Mauss, Henri Hubert and sociology of religions (MMHH) is thinner. Its main purpose, which is dominated by facsimile and transcripts of correspondence, reading sheets, manuscripts, is to analyse the preparation of 'The test on the nature and function of sacrifice' (Chapter 2) and 'The outline of a general theory of magy' (Chapter 3). The very short chapter 1 shows the meeting between the two men. The fourth and final chapter deals in less than 10 pages with the reception of 'L'Essai' and 'L'Esquisse'; Jean-Pierre Vernant and Marcel Detienne, in particular, considered that Mauss and Hubert had not taken into account the close links in ancient Greece between sacrifice and the political life of the city; Luc de Heusch considered that the two authors had, on the basis of the case of vedic rite, carried out abusive generalisations leading to an overestimation of the importance of the lay/sacred opposition — irrelevant in the case of African oral rites. A first annex contains the main part of the 1898 Mauss-Hubert correspondence (fifteen letters from Hubert and six letters from Mauss, dealing mainly with the preparation of 'L'Essai'). A second is based on official texts from Hubert and Mauss initially published in the Revue Française de Sociologie with presentations by Ph. Besnard (1979, 20, 1, pp. 205-220). ; L'apport spécifique du livre Marcel Mauss, Henri Hubert et la sociologie des religions (MMHH) est plus mince. Son objet, qui fait majoritairement place à des fac-similés et des transcriptions de correspondances, de fiches de lecture, de manuscrits, est d'analyser la préparation de « L'essai sur la nature et la fonction du sacrifice »(chap. 2), et de « L'esquisse d'une théorie générale de la magie » (chap. 3). Le très court chapitre 1 retrace la rencontre entre les deux hommes. Le quatrième et dernier chapitre aborde en moins de dix pages la réception de « L'Essai » et de « L'Esquisse » ; Jean-Pierre Vernant et Marcel Detienne, notamment, ont estimé que Mauss et Hubert ...

Religion plays an important role in contemporary politics, both as a public and political actor, and as set of values. As a public actor, religion widely participates in the political spheres of European countries. At the same time, both European and non-European societies are experiencing a profound reshaping of their political landscapes. In these contexts, it has become clear that new modes of governance redraw the boundaries between institutional actors and citizens, and create space for horizontal and/or transnational networks. Today, the separation between religion and politics is being questioned more or less radically, and the meaning and the substance of democracy likewise. This special issue aims to offer a wide range of examples of studies focusing on the interactions between religion and politics from different disciplinary perspectives and scientific traditions. Ranging from single case studies to transnational comparative analyses, from sociology of religion to political science, and from the analysis of specific religious traditions to comparative studies, the articles presented offer a useful insight of topics and debates. This heterogeneity allows the readers to have an overview on some of the most important religious actors (movements, associations, groups and, parties in contemporary democracies, such as Christian traditional parties in Europe and the US, Islamist groups in Turkey and in Pakistan. At the same time, this collection of article shows different approaches through which is possible to analyse these movements, such as cross-country comparative approaches, comparison between different cases of religious groups' collective action within the same national contexts or in the same urban area, or in-depth case studies of the specific role of religious groups in a broader national mobilization. The common element of these different contributions is the objective of looking at the complex relationships between religious organizations (both movements and parties) and political mobilizations, and analysing the religious factor neither as a mere effect of conflicts driven by non-religious factors, such as economic or utilitarian motives, nor as essentialist phenomena driven by non-rational logics of action.

The most important recent development in American religion is the dramatic increase in the number of people who claim no religious affiliation — the rise of the Nones. In this Working Paper, I discuss the social factors that explain the rise of the Nones--demography, politics, family, technology, a distrust of institutions generally--and explain what this development might mean for the definition of religion in American law. I focus on a recent federal appeals court case involving a self-styled spiritual adviser, "Psychic Sophie," who claimed that following her "inner flow" constituted a religion meriting constitutional and statutory protection. I argue that the case is a close one. Protecting Nones as a religion would promote the important goals of state religious neutrality and personal autonomy. On the other hand, religion has always been understood in terms of community. Indeed, as Tocqueville saw, it is precisely religion's communal aspect that makes it so important to liberal democracy. Granting Nones the status of a religion would fail to capture this important social benefit.

The constructions of 'religion' in general language are seldom themselves in the focus of empirical research. Aiming to retrieve the inherent knowledge that lies within these constructions, this article suggests a term-based textual analysis to focus on the linguistic use of 'religion'. This method invites us to question the unity of texts through an analysis of textual semantics. It offers the chance to ask about the formation of the concept. The article initially shows how this approach differs from comparative and policy-oriented studies by differentiating between criticism and critique. It then develops the idea of a term-based textual analysis. Using examples from the policy field of foreign aid, the text illustrates how much inherent knowledge there is in the usage of 'religion' in political communication and calls for a general reconsideration of the way 'religion' is approached in empirical research.

Set in a small minority community in South Africa, the Orthodox Jewish com-munity in Johannesburg, this study explores why a person would actively and volun-tarily seek minority status by converting into an ethnic-religious minority group. Taking a social constructionist approach to understanding religious conversion, it is argued that religious conversion to Orthodox Judaism is also a social process of becoming ethnically "Jewish". In this study, two types of converts are considered, namely con-verts who come to Judaism through marriage and converts for religious purposes. Through in-depth-interviews with rabbis and converts, experiences of social inclusion and exclusion, and the meaning of conversions is understood. This study finds that regardless of the path to conversion, belonging and identity are key reasons for con-version, and that it is an ethnic process that serves group and individual needs recip-rocally. At an individual level, becoming Jewish through conversion helps avoid social exclusion and achieves other social inclusions by acquiring membership in new com-munities and by forming new social identities. At a group level, the research shows that religious conversion is part of the group's broader concern for maintaining ethnic boundaries and is therefore an element of the politics of belonging. The research shows how conversion to a minority ethnic group in a plural environment becomes a social means to protect ethnic identity and avoid assimilation. By understanding con-version as the politics of belonging, the research explores the subjective experiences of citizenship at a group and individual level.

International audience This article aims at giving an overview about the four main collections of problems and studies that have structured over the last four decades what could be called the French school of rural sociology: from the rural exodus to the "rural renaissance"; the question of social change and innovation in agriculture; the working conditions, living conditions, professions in agriculture, and the alternative initiatives and paths away from productivism; politics and organisations in agriculture. In the last section, perspectives to understand splintering and coexistence of new forms of production organisation and agricultural trade in a context of globalisation are formulated.