ABSTRACT
Whereas academics, including Martin himself, see his fundamental contribution in the field of the sociology of religion, his lasting achievement is the discovery of the no man’s land between sociology and religion. This is where he opened a new field of exploration and left his indelible mark. Martin’s expertise as a sociologist versed in theology has been widely recognized and acclaimed, but it is where sociology and theology clash and coalesce into a “disciplinary hybrid” – a space Martin calls “socio-theology” – that his importance rests. To disentangle and master all threads of his thought, this chapter seeks “subtler languages”, which can analyze it as both process and structure. To address these two facets the author draws on the theoretical perspectives of René Girard and Carl Schmitt. They help understand the interplay and unity between dynamism and content of Martin’s work.
