Encyclopedia of Religions and Society

Abstract

The Encyclopedia ofReligion and Society can be regarded as the fmt substantial reference work specifically concerned with the sociological study of religion. Simply by filling this gap in the existing literature, it is a book that deserves to be widely recognized for making this contribution to the field. Although Islam and consideration of Islam in relation to the social sciences makes only a very limited appearance in the volume, this new work needs to be thoroughly assessed for its value in the social scientific study of Muslim communities and Islamic societies. One hundred and nine international experts in the sociology of religion have contributed to the volume. Reflecting the development of the discipline, the encyclopedia has an interdisciplinary character, which makes it a useful resource not only for sociologists, but also for scholars from anthropology, psychology, and religious studies. As a reference work in the sociology of religion, it would be hard to identify any gaps in terms of entries, especially as all the standard terms and theories are comprehensively covered. Many concepts more closely associated with mainstream sociology (such as “deviance,” “attitude,” “research methods”) also carry an entry and their particular relationship to the sociology of religion is often drawn out. An especially valuable feature of the work is that there are entries for people and organizations, thereby making it possible to identify key personalities, publications, and professional societies, past and present. Through the encyclopedia it is possible to piece together the academic and institutional development of the discipline. There is a critical aspect to most of the longer entries, and this evaluative dimension makes the book a valuable resource for students. ’Ihe varying length of entries, from just a few sentences to essay-length, appears to be carefully and appropriately judged. Most entries carry either a short bibliography or references thus assisting researchers to locate key texts. The helpful and extensive cross-referencing provides a further pointer to related concepts and terms, whilst the avoidance of complex technical jargon makes the book accessible to a wide readership, and those new to the field. The encyclopedia’s very comprehensive and detailed index will help readers to locate all the occurrences of theories and ...