Sociology of the Sacred: Religion, Embodiment and Social Change

Drawing on classical and contemporary social theory, Sociology of the Sacred presents a bold and original account of how interactions between religious and secular forms of the sacred underpin major conflicts in the world today, and illuminate broader patterns of social and cultural change inherent to global modernity. It demonstrates: * How the bodily capacities help religions adapt to social change but also facilitate their internal transformation * That the 'sacred' includes a diverse range of phenomena, with variable implications for questions of social order and change * How proponents of a 'post-secular' age have failed to grasp the ways in which sacralization can advance secularization * Why the sociology of the sacred needs to be a key part of attempts to make sense of the nature and directionality of social change in global modernity today. This book is key reading for the sociology of religion, the body and modern culture.