ABSTRACT
The concluding chapter, by James Beckford, begins by situating the preceding chapters of the book in the context of other recent attempts to establish fresh agendas for the sociology of religion. A concern to move away from accounts which emphasise processes of rationalisation and secularisation emerges as a common theme throughout this material, while a general theme in this volume in particular is a lack of attention to religious institutions in favour of everyday manifestations and articulations. The chapter moves on to supplement the proposals in the main body of the book with an assertion of the importance of future work in three areas: the changing constructions of religion in different social settings; the regulation of religion in public life; and clarification of the fundamental concepts of ‘the social’ and ‘religion’ in the face of criticisms from radical orthodox theology and critical religious studies.
