ABSTRACT
This means three things: first, ‘a paradigm must be grounded in a concrete scientific community’ (Tschannen 1991 p. 396). Tschannen shows that such a community existed in the period he studies (1963-c.1990), in the form of key participants in the Conférence Internationale de Sociologie des Religions (CISR). Second, while there may be considerable disagreements, participants ‘share a very broad set of assumptions and analytical categories’ (ibid. p. 395). Third, these areas of agreement are sufficient to enable development of the paradigm. Tschannen considers seven theorists and from analysis of their work argues for the existence of a paradigm as ‘based on a core of three elements: differentiation, rationalization and worldliness’ (p. 400).
