ABSTRACT
The sociological study of socialization emphasizes the role of primary agents of socialization such as families, schools, and peers. It also utilizes the life-course perspective that incorporates the ways historical and life events impact these processes. This chapter examines recent research on this topic to determine the kinds of research on which sociologists are currently focusing and their general findings. All the articles published in two traditional journals in the sociology of religion were reviewed between 2010 and 2019: Sociology of Religion and the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (JSSR). Twenty-two articles in the Sociology of Religion and 23 in JSSR were coded as having anything to do with religious socialization in any way. These studies reveal that modern sociologists continue to focus on traditional topics in religious socialization, such as the role of the family in children's acceptance of their parents’ religious beliefs, but modern research emphasizes the factors that explain the loss of religious practice and belief. It also shows how “irreligion” is being passed down to children and the historical and cultural factors that are intersecting with these processes. Modern research continues to investigate the role of schools in religious socialization but focuses on the impacts of higher education. Together, these findings help to explain the changes in religiosity in the Global North during the past decade.
