Sociology and the Study of Religion

In this module, Professor Chris Shilling (University of Kent) poses the question of why sociologists are interested in religion. We begin by outlining secularisation theory, as developed by Karl Marx and Max Weber, before considering five reasons that religion has nonetheless remained central to sociology: (i) secularisation theory has been widely challenged; (ii) religion forms many people’s worldviews; (iii) it is necessary to understand contemporary conflicts; (iv) it helps to understand other areas of sociology, such as gender; (v) it is central to two core sociological issues - the problem of order and the problem of meaning.
This lecture is part of a larger course on The Sociology of Religion. The full course can be found here: massolit.io/courses/the-socio...
MASSOLIT works with university academics to produce short video lectures in the arts, humanities and social sciences. It is available to schools and colleges on an institutional license as well as via private subscription: www.massolit.io/?source=yt

[@patrickglass9323]

Professor Chris Shilling. An excellent lecture - clear, succinct, and thought-provoking. And surprisingly important. Thank you.

[@mihaiserbu8447]

Great speech!!!