ABSTRACT
At the beginning of the 1950s, Mauss (1872–1950), Radcliffe Brown (1881–1955), van der Leeuwe (1890–1950) and Tawney (1882–1960) were still alive and influenced social sciences of religion in Europe. But the most influential impact was that exercised by Gabriel le Bras (1891–1970) in France. A more critical approach was stressed by the so-called Frankfurt School, with Adorno (1903–69) and Horkheimer (1895–1973). Some European sociologists of religion emigrated to the United States: Berger (1929–) and Casanova (1951–). But Luckmann (1927–) and Robertson (1938–) came back to Europe. At the same time important streams continued to act in terms of theory and research: in France thanks to Desroche (1914–94), Séguy (1925–2007) and Bourdieu (1930–2002) from another perspective, and in England because of Mary Douglas (1921–2007) from a socio-anthropological point of view. In France, particularly, some studies on laïcité by Baubérot (1941–) and on Protestantism by Willaime (1947–) deserve attention. At the moment new waves are also emerging to study Islam and new religions in Europe.
