ABSTRACT
The concept of everyday lived religion is expressed in local interpretations of religious teachings and individuals’ responses to them, which interact with other influences on the ways people understand the world, relate to others and exercise agency. This book moves beyond considering how religion is understood and practised by individuals and small social and religious groups to examine the links between religion, states and societies, especially with respect to social and political action, expressed through the roles played by religious groups and organisations in attempts to improve social welfare and in movements for social change. To provide a platform for developing an analytical framework, this chapter identifies and discusses the conceptual building blocks needed to analyse the drivers, manifestations and implications of sociopolitical action by exploring the concepts of religion; culture; society, including sexuality and gender, ethnicity and caste, identity, and social capital; state, governance and civil society; and organisations and institutions.
