ABSTRACT
This chapter gives an outline of how the connection between class and religion has been analyzed in classical and contemporary social theory. The concept of social class has many meanings in sociology, and it is a contested concept. Several of the founding classics of sociology wrote about how social class could influence religiosity, or how religion could set its mark on class, class consciousness, and mobility between classes, one way or the other. The chapter presents some sociological perspectives on religion and social mobility, a field where researchers often reach different conclusions. Both Hinduism and Buddhism set their marks on society, often with religious legitimations prescribing that classes or castes should minimize outside contacts, marry within the caste, and adapt to a rather strict system of power and prestige. The interplay of class, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, generation, and other factors has become a significant part of modern sociology, also in the sociology of religion.
