RELIGION AS A SOCIAL FORCE

August 13-15, 2014

JW Marriott San Francisco Union Square

San Francisco, California

PROGRAM CHAIR: Jeremy Uecker, Baylor University, [email protected]

NOTE: Our annual meetings take place immediately prior to the meetings of ASA’s Religion Section, but will not overlap with those sessions. This will allow members to attend sessions at both meetings in a shorter window than previous years.

THEME: Over the past three decades, a number of scholars have underscored the apparent role of religious institutions, practices, beliefs, and values in shaping social institutions and human behavior. This strand of work has been collectively labeled the “strong program” in the sociology of religion. Theorists and researchers working within this program have explored the role of religion with regard to a wide array of domains, including social movements and politics, social stratification, immigration, health and well-being, and many others. Notable contributions have come from scholars whose main specialization is the sociology of religion, and from others who are known for their scholarship in other areas, but who have come to recognize the relevance of religion for their own work. Others have critiqued the “strong program” on a number of important grounds. The 2014 ASR meeting will explore what can be learned by viewing religion and spirituality as independent influences in social life, as well as the potential pitfalls of doing so, along with the many other approaches that flourish within the highly pluralistic sociology of religion.