New Approaches in the Sociology of Religion: A Western Perspective

This article has three sections. The first deals with the attempts by the sociology of religion to come to terms with the post-modern condition; it draws on the argument set out in the final chapter of Davie (1994). The second section updates these ideas taking account of more recent evidence. The third looks to the future; it is based primarily on the more theoretical aspects of Davie (2002a). It illustrates the needfor rather different approaches in the sociology of religion as the debates of the new century assert themselves.