Classical sociologists and their theories of religion

The aim of this chapter is to give an introduction to the classical sociologists and their theories of religion. Although Freud was a psychologist, he is included here because his theory of religion had a major impact on the sociology of religion. The chapter is organized chronologically and covers from 1850 to around 1950 – even if a few of the writers lived and wrote beyond 1950. We have attempted to organize each subsection by using a consistent scheme. After a brief presentation of a particular theorist, we describe his theory of individual and society, before we take a look at religion and refer to some of the critique that has been raised. We also attempt to offer suggestions as to how different theories may be used in empirical studies of religion.