Association for the Sociology of Religion

Association for the Sociology of Religion.

The Association for the Sociology of Religion is a learned society linking scholars of sociology, religion, and social theory from institutions such as Harvard University, University of Chicago, Columbia University, University of California, Berkeley, and Yale University, and engaging members associated with organizations like American Sociological Association, International Sociological Association, British Sociological Association, European Consortium for Political Research, and Social Science Research Council.

History

Founded in 1938 amid debates involving scholars at University of Michigan, Princeton University, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Cornell University, the Association emerged during the same era as initiatives by Max Weber-influenced scholars and contemporaries connected to Émile Durkheim's legacy, intersecting with research traditions from Chicago School (sociology), debates exemplified in venues like American Journal of Sociology and conferences at Columbia University and Yale University. Early leadership included academics who had ties to institutions such as Harvard University, McGill University, University of Toronto, University of Oxford, and University of Cambridge and who engaged intellectual exchanges with figures associated with Durkheimian sociology, comparative work on religion in the spirit of Peter Berger and Robert N. Bellah, and cross-national studies referenced by scholars at Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris and Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity. The Association's development paralleled changes in postwar scholarship around modernization theories discussed at United Nations gatherings and comparative panels featuring researchers from University of Chicago, London School of Economics, and University of California, Los Angeles.

Mission and Activities

The Association advances rigorous study of religion by promoting dialogue among scholars from settings such as Princeton University, Stanford University, University of Chicago, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and National University of Singapore and by collaborating with institutions like Russell Sage Foundation, Guggenheim Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, National Science Foundation, and European Research Council. It supports comparative research on phenomena studied by investigators at University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Australian National University, University of Toronto, and McGill University while fostering interdisciplinary exchange with centers such as Harvard Divinity School, Yale Divinity School, Union Theological Seminary, Boston University School of Theology, and Vanderbilt University Divinity School. The Association cultivates networks linking scholars who work on topics explored by researchers at Princeton University, Columbia University, Duke University, Brown University, and Rutgers University.

Membership and Governance

Membership draws sociologists and religion scholars affiliated with universities including Harvard University, University of Chicago, Columbia University, Oxford University Press authors, and research centers at Max Planck Institute, Institut Pasteur-adjacent social science programs, and departments at University of California, Berkeley, University of Texas at Austin, and University of Michigan. Governance has featured elected officers who have held posts comparable to chairs in organizations such as American Sociological Association, executive committees similar to those at International Sociological Association and advisory boards linked to Social Science History Association and Association for Political Science. Financial oversight and grant partnerships have interfaced with funders like National Endowment for the Humanities, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Ford Foundation.

Conferences and Publications

The Association organizes annual meetings that have convened panels alongside sessions with scholars from American Sociological Association, International Sociological Association, European Sociological Association, Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, and Religious Research Association, and that attract presenters from Harvard University, University of Chicago, Yale University, Princeton University, and University of Oxford. Its publication venues and affiliated outlets have included proceedings and edited volumes involving presses such as Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, Routledge, University of California Press, and Princeton University Press and collaborative special issues with journals like Sociology of Religion (journal), Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, American Journal of Sociology, Social Forces, and Contemporary Sociology. Conferences have featured keynote speakers drawn from faculties at Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Chicago, Columbia University, and Yale University and partnered symposia with centers including Center for the Study of Religion and Society and Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs.

Research and Awards

Research supported by the Association has included comparative projects led by investigators at University of California, Berkeley, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Australian National University and thematic studies connecting to work published by scholars at Princeton University, Columbia University, Duke University, Brown University, and Rutgers University. The Association administers awards and prizes recognizing scholarship comparable to honors granted by American Sociological Association, International Sociological Association, Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, and research fellowships akin to those from Fulbright Program, Guggenheim Foundation, and National Endowment for the Humanities; recipients have hailed from institutions such as Harvard University, University of Chicago, Yale University, Princeton University, and Oxford University. Its grant programs and honors promote comparative, historical, and quantitative studies carried out in collaboration with centers at Max Planck Institute, Center for the Study of Religion and Society, Social Science Research Council, National Science Foundation, and European Research Council.

Category:Learned societies Category:Sociology of religion Category:Organizations established in 1938