A Sociology of Religious Freedom

James T Richardson author Giuseppe Giordan author Olga Breskaya author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc

Published:24th Dec '24

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

A Sociology of Religious Freedom cover

In recent years, the relevance of religious freedom has spread well beyond academia, becoming a reference point for international relations, multi-level policy development, as well as interfaith negotiations. Meanwhile, scholarship on religious freedom has flourished on the boundaries of sociology, law, comparative politics, history, and theology. This book presents a systematic sociological analysis of religious freedom, bringing together classical sociological theories and empirical perspectives developed during the last three decades. It addresses three major questions involved in any sociology of religious freedom. First: considering its complex and controversial nature, how can religious freedom be defined? Second: what are the recurrent sociological conditions and relevant social perceptions that will foster an understanding of religious freedom in varying political, legal, and socioreligious contexts? And third, what are the mechanisms of social implementation of religious freedom that contribute to making it a fundamental value in a society? Olga Breskaya, Giuseppe Giordan, and James T. Richardson suggest that a sociological definition of religious freedom requires us to take into account historical, philosophical, legal, religious, and political considerations of a given society-and that the social dimensions of religious freedom are as important as the legal ones.

Authors Breskaya (Univ. of Padua, Italy), Giordan (Univ. of Padua, Italy), and Richardson (emer., Univ. of Nevada, Reno) are sociologists with a strong interest in law. They have produced a dense, academic review of the legal and social science approaches to understanding what religious freedom means and how it can be implemented in society. There are strong chapters reviewing the work of the US Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights in defining religious freedom. They connect this work to the standards set by the UN, especially through the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The authors review social science attempts to measure religious freedom and survey what religious freedom feels like at the popular level. They include a survey of Italian and Russian respondents on the experience of religious freedom in their respective countries. * B. Weston, CHOICE *
A Sociology of Religious Freedom is an important and interesting book, dense with the synthesis of decades of research and rich in suggestions for future research. It will be most valuable for sociologists of religion and advanced graduate students, especially those who are already familiar with the details of the relevant literature in this particular subfield. * Brian C. Wilson, Nova Religio *
A Sociology of Religious Freedom is a well-researched and carefully written essential reference tool for scholars working on religious freedom. Although sociological in orientation, it will also be of interest to political scientists, legal scholars, and those working in religious studies. * Lori G. Beaman, Religion, State & Society *
A Sociology of Religious Freedom has been written by three sociology experts in the field. In their collective endeavour, they aim not only to gather a wealth of theoretical and empirical information, but also to develop a genuine sociological perspective on the subject. ... The book is informative, rich in material, and very helpful in structuring the field. It will be a 'must read' for all students and scholars working in this area of research. * Monika Wohlrab-Sahr, Journal of Contemporary Religion *

ISBN: 9780197533819

Dimensions: 241mm x 163mm x 31mm

Weight: 567g

312 pages