Table of Contents

Part One: The Basics
1.By Way of Introduction
2.Studying Religion
3.The “Religion” of Secularization and the History of Religions
4.Religion in the United States: Denominationalism and Beyond
Part Two: Religion and Social Differentiation
5.Social Class, Religion, and Power: A Classic Field of Inquiry
6.Religion and Ethnicity: A Complex Relationship
7.Gender, Sexuality, and Religion: Spirituality in Different Voices?
Part Three: Religion, Culture, and Change
8.Religious Change: The Case of Catholicism in the United States
9.The Globalization Dynamic: Historic Animosities or Postmodern Politics?
10.Mediating Meaning: Religion in—and as—Contemporary Culture
11.Boundary Issues: Church, State, and New Religions
References

About the Author

Kevin J. Christiano is an associate professor of sociology at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and a past president of the Association for the Sociology of Religion and the American Council for Québec Studies.

William H. Swatos, Jr., served as the executive officer of the Association for the Sociology of Religion and of the Religious Research Association for many years. He is senior priest and Canon Theologian of the Anglican diocese of Quincy, Illinois.

Peter Kivisto is the Richard A. Swanson Professor of Social Thought at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, and a research fellow at the Università di Trento in Italy. An author or editor of more than twenty-five books, he is a member of the Council of the American Sociological Association.

Reviews

Clearly written and comprehensive in scope, this revised edition provides a refreshing update of ongoing empirical developments, conceptual debates, and continuing challenges in understanding the complexity of religion in contemporary society.
*Michele Dillon, University of New Hampshire; coauthor of American Catholics in Transition*

I am very impressed with Sociology of Religion: Contemporary Developments. This volume provides a thorough treatment of sociological theories of religion and discusses an array of important conceptual issues in the field.
*Dr. John P. Bartkowski, University of Texas at San Antonio*

Sociology of Religion offers great coverage of topics, in terms of both breadth and depth. The book offers up-to-date treatment, an accessible and engaging writing style, and a very good supporting bibliography.
*Andrew Dawson, Lancaster University, United Kingdom*

Previous edition praise: This excellent book may well be the best text on the sociology of religion in print.
*Teaching Sociology*