Sociology and Religion

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Convener: Christian Smith

Members:

Nancy Ammerman, Boston University; Jose Casanova, Georgetown University; Hilary Davidson, University of Notre Dame (Graduate Student); John Evans, University of California, San Diego; Phil Gorski, Yale University; Elaine Howard Ecklund, Rice University; Mary Ellen Konieczny, University of Notre Dame; Chris Smith, University of Notre Dame (Convener); Jason Springs, University of Notre Dame; Jenny Trinitapoli, Penn State University; Brandon Vaidyanathan, University of Notre Dame (Graduate Student); Meredith Whitnah, University of Notre Dame (Graduate Student)

 

Three Questions to Consider

1. What are the reasons—historical, intellectual, and otherwise—why American sociology has had difficulty taking religion seriously?
2. What might sociology learn to its own disciplinary benefit in its theoretical reflections by taking religious knowledge, including religious truth claims, seriously?
3. What concrete steps might sociologists take to better account for and integrate religious knowledge into its understandings of human social life?