Tagged: Religion and Social Theory

Opinion / Sociology of Religion

Analysing Religious Public Discourses: Categories of Thought and Value Differences

The religious field, as defined by Pierre Bourdieu (1991a), is not uniform, static or monolithic. Although there are common dogmatic doctrines and ritual practices, their perception and interpretation may differ even within the same community at the same period, especially as religious and lay actors, who occupy different positions within the field, engage in a struggle in order to implement their own visions about the place and role of the church in the world. That cannot be done without legitimizing...

Sociology of Culture

Guest Post: Finding ‘Religion’ in Asia: personal reflections on a Singaporean appointment

Bryan S. Turner National University of Singapore     In general dons don’t leave Cambridge University. They die there or they get thrown out, but generally speaking the charm and prestige of the place are sufficiently strong to secure life-long loyalty. I was unusual; I left.  Having been appointed in 1998 as the new professor of sociology, I was soon teaching four ‘papers’ (lecture courses), supervising six PhD students, giving supervisions to college students, managing MA candidates, and sitting on...