
Researching Religion
Why We Need Social Science
Steve Bruce(Author)
Oxford University Press
Published on 6. September 2018
Book
Hardback
256 pages
978-0-19-878658-0 (ISBN)
Description
Researching Religion: Why We Need Social Science establishes the relevance of social science for the study of religion and promotes a particular kind of social science. Even if we confine ourselves to academic disciplines, there are very many ways of viewing religion. Certain kinds of questions about religion can only be answered by the methods and approaches of social science: if one is interested in the social causes and consequences of religious belief and behaviour, then one has to do social science. Steve Bruce underlines the value of quantitative social research. He shows that while detailed ethnographies have enormous value in helping us get 'inside' religious belief and behaviour, they are severely limited by problems of scale and representativeness in their value for generating and testing explanations. While the primary focus is social research, the examples are drawn from studies of religious belief and behaviour, so it also presents a very large number of important observations about the nature of religion in the modern world. This book is an informative, concise reference for students trying to unpick quantitative religious research. It shows how to gather valuable research and avoid pitfalls.
Reviews / Votes
the book is consistently accessible, funny, and illuminating. * Kristen Tobey, Religious Studies Review * Bruce is strongest when he addresses the role of theory, which is not surprising given his substantial and important contributions in this area. Given its content and approach, and because Bruce aims to help others avoid pitfalls and problems he himself encountered during his career, the book is most appropriate for scholars engaged in the study of religion. Summing up: Recommended * CHOICE * Researching Religion is an eminent scholar's reflection on the lessons he has learned in an accomplished career of analyzing religion sociologically. It offers one map of central issues through which younger scholars will need to chart their paths in confucting research on religion... * John R. Hall, UC Santa Cruz and Davis, Nova Religio *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 145 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
458 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-19-878658-0 (9780198786580)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
08/2018
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€16.49
Available for download

E-Book
08/2018
1st Edition
OUP eBook
€14.99
Available for download
Person
Steve Bruce is Professor of Sociology at the University of Aberdeen. His previous publications include Secular Beats Spiritual: The Westernization of the Easternization of the West (2017), Secularization: In Defence of an Unfashionable Theory (2013), Paisley: Religion and Politics in Northern Ireland (2007), Sociology: A Very Short Introduction (2000), and Choice and Religion: A Critique of Rational Choice Theory (1999). He is also the editor of Bryan R. Wilson's Religion in Secular Society: Fifty Years On (2016).
Content
1: Prelude: Some Basic Principles of Social Research
2: The Value of Social Science
3: Defining Religion
4: Measuring Religion
5: Bias in Social Research
6: Ethics in Social Research
7: Conversion: Motives, Structures, and Discourse
8: Social Theory and Religion
9: Action Rational and Irrational
10: Does Danger Make People Religious?
2: The Value of Social Science
3: Defining Religion
4: Measuring Religion
5: Bias in Social Research
6: Ethics in Social Research
7: Conversion: Motives, Structures, and Discourse
8: Social Theory and Religion
9: Action Rational and Irrational
10: Does Danger Make People Religious?