Religion in the Contemporary World
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Religion in the Contemporary World by Alan Aldridge
In the new edition of this widely read text, Alan Aldridge examines the complex realities of religious belief, practice and institutions, ranging from the high growth rates of successful minority religious movements such as Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses, to the phenomenal rise of Pentecostalism, the challenge of 'fundamentalism' and the apparent turn from religion to spirituality. Religion is a powerful and controversial force in the contemporary world, even in supposedly secular societies. Almost all societies seek to cultivate religions and faith communities as sources of social stability and engines of social progress. They also try to regulate real and imagined abuses and excess: cults that brainwash vulnerable people, fundamentalism that threatens democracy and the progress of science, and terrorists who carry out atrocities in the name of religion. The second edition has been carefully revised to make sure it is fully up-to-date with recent developments and debates. Major themes in the revised edition include religious diversity and its implications for social cohesion, and the paradoxical fate of religion in societies that appear to be obsessed with individualism and consumerism. This book will appeal strongly to a range of readers, especially students taking courses in the sociology of religion and anyone who is interested in the place of religion in the contemporary world.
As good an introduction to the sociology of religion for the uninitiated as any current volumeJust about every topic that might be expected is to be found, thus providing a comprehensive reader. Sociological Review The new edition of Religion in the Contemporary World is a timely guide to the social significance of religion. It is comprehensive, clear and convincing. Alan Aldridge is to be congratulated for writing such a well-informed and readable account of both the routine and the eye-catching aspects of religion in various regions of the world. From 'cults' to civil religion, from secularization to state control, and from diversity to identity, the analysis of arguments and examples is challenging and shrewd. This is the sociology of religion at its best. James A. Beckford, University of Warwick Alan Aldridge provides a theoretically rich and empirically wide-ranging introduction to the pluralism of contemporary religion. His nicely integrated approach, coupled with a highly-accessible writing style, will enhance students' appreciation of the many complexities that characterize religion and society today. Michele Dillon, University of New Hampshire
Alan Aldridge was formerly Reader in the Sociology of Culture at the University of Nottingham.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780745634050 |
| ISBN 10 | 0745634052 |
| Title | Religion in the Contemporary World |
| Author | Alan Aldridge |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Polity Press |
| Year published | 2007-08-04 |
| Number of pages | 256 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |