Introduction: Thinking theoretically in the sociology of religion

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book highlights the importance of power in the sociology of religion, with help from Pierre Bourdieu, Marx and Critical Discourse Analysis. Sociology of religion in Britain, in moving from an endeavour largely located in social science departments to one that is now based primarily in theology and religious studies departments, has benefitted from this move, but also faces a significant challenge in terms of both theory and methods. Max Weber makes a clearer case for the centrality of religion in classical sociology of religion. His work has been much less influential in the sociology of religion than it has been in most of the rest of the discipline, even if there are important attempts to develop his insights for the enterprise today.