Peter L. Berger and the Sociology of Religion: 50 Years after The Sacred Canopy

by Titus Hjelm (Editor)

Overview

How and why did The Sacred Canopy by Peter L. Berger (1929–2017) become a classic? How have scholars used Berger's ideas over the past 50 years since its publication? How are these ideas relevant to the future of the sociology of religion?

Peter L. Berger and the Sociology of Religion explores these questions by providing a broad overview of Berger's work, as well as more focussed studies. The chapters discuss both aspects of Berger's classic text: the 'systematic' sociological theorising on religion and the 'historical' theorising on secularisation. The articles also critically examine Berger's reversal regarding secularisation and the suggested 'desecularisation' of the world. The approaches range from disciplinary history to applications of Berger's ideas.

The book includes contributions from Nancy Ammerman, Steve Bruce, David Feltmate, Effie Fokas, Titus Hjelm, D. Paul Johnson, Hubert Knoblauch, Silke Steets, Riyaz Timol, and Bryan S. Turbaner.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781350152113
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/20/2020
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.46(d)

About the Author

Titus Hjelm is Reader in Sociology at University College London, UK. His publications include Is God Back? (Bloomsbury Academic, 2015), and Social Constructionisms (2014). He is founding chair of the American Academy of Religion's Sociology of Religion Group.

Table of Contents

List of Contributors
Preface and Acknowledgements
1. Introduction: Peter L. Berger and the Sociology of Religion, Titus Hjelm (University College London, UK)
2 . Vulnerability and Plausibility Structures: Peter L. Berger, Arnold Gehlen and Philosophical Anthropology, Bryan S. Turbaner (The City University of New York, USA)
3. From Canopies to Conversations: The Continuing Significance of “Plausibility Structures”, Nancy Ammerman (Boston University, USA)
4. The Sacred Canopy as a Global Construction Project: Incorporating both Emotional and Cognitive Resources, Doyle Paul Johnson (Independent scholar)
5. The Sacred Canopy as a Classic: Why Berger's Conceptual Apparatus Remains Foundational 50 Years Later, David Feltmate (Auburban University at Montgomery, USA)
6. Sacred Canopies and Invisible Religions: The Dialectical Construction of Religion in Berger and Luckmann, Hubert Knoblauch (The Technical University of Berlin, Germany) and Silke Steets (Leipzig University, Germany)
7. Secularization: From Sacred Canopies to Golf Umbrellas, Steve Bruce (University of Aberdeen, UK)
8. Islamic Revivalism and Europe's Secular 'Sacred Canopy': Exploring the Debunking Capacity of Public Religion, Riyaz Timol (Cardiff University, UK)
9. Religious American and Secular European Courts, or vice versa? A study of institutional cross-pollination, Effie Fokas (Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy, Greece)
10. Assessing the Influence of The Sacred Canopy: A Missed Opportunity for Social Constructionism?, Titus Hjelm (University College London, UK)
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

I've personally been eager for someone to put together a volume of this kind. There's no question that The Sacred Canopy is a classic that is still influential and deserves this kind of critical appraisal.” —Robert Wuthnow, Director of the Center for the Study of Religion, Princeton University, USA

“This book could prove to be the foundation for the social constructivist theoretical approach in the sociology of religion. In the sense of constructive criticism, this volume is the best thing that can happen to a life's work.” —Michaela Pfadenhauer, Professor of Sociology, University of Vienna, Austria

“A thought-provoking conversation about the significance and implications of Peter Berger's work. Each of the contributors brings a lifetime of reflection on the sociological study of religion. Together, they show the complexity of Berger's thought and its continued relevance to sociology today. This is not mere hagiography. The chapters reveal aspects of Berger's thought that other writers have missed.” —James Spickard, Professor of Sociology, University of Redlands, USA

“Peter Berger's work has been pivotal for both sociology and the sociology of religion. It still is. The essays brought together in this volume speak to the continuing significance of The Sacred Canopy for an interesting mix of scholars: some senior and some less so; some fascinated by theory and some by its applications in the field. I recommend it warmly.” —Grace Davie, Professor emeritus of Sociology, University of Exeter, UK

From the Publisher