ABSTRACT
While Durkheim was most concerned with the function and impact of religion, Weber (1965) was more interested in its content. In particular he examined how religion influenced the daily lives of followers and how behaviours associated with a particular faith position changed as people moved into different contexts and spaces. This aspect of his theorising links closely to Goffman's (1959) account of the presentation of self in everyday life and how setting affects impression management. In relation to young people in multi-faith areas, these theories give rise to key questions such as similarities and differences between and among members of different religious traditions in patterns of everyday life, and whether indeed individuals behave consistently whatever their faith position. Moreover, what might account for observed behaviours?
