When Bricks Matter: Four Arguments for the Sociological Study of Religious Buildings

Sociologists of religion have had much to say about the social structures impacting religious belief and practice but surprisingly little to say about the physical structures that both shape and constrain religious communities of nearly all traditions. In this paper, we present four arguments for the sociological study of religious buildings. Although we rely heavily on social theory to make these arguments, we also draw on empirical evidence from religious buildings in Guatemala and the United States in order to illustrate our arguments regarding the impact of buildings on religious groups and the communities in which they are located. We close with suggestions for research questions that could contribute both to the field of sociology of religion and the wider discipline of sociology.