Narrative versus Theory in the Sociology of Religion: Five Stories of Religion’s Place in the Late Modern World

TLDR: The authors explored the ways in which scholarly narratives are produced and consumed by sociologists, and argued that narrative imagination plays a key role in the ways that scholars describe religion in society.

Abstract: The words 'narrative' and 'discourse' have become fashionable terms in many of the social sciences, with the striking exception of the sociology of religion. The story of secularisation has a long and proud tradition in sociology – as throughout modern Western intellectual life. It analyses narratives internally, to learn about their structure, their rhetorical appeal, and so on. The chapter explores the 'discursive practices' that surround them – in this case, by examining the ways in which scholarly narratives are produced and consumed. It connects each narrative to the common narratives of a given era, showing their joint implications for wider social practices. As governments, big industries, and big commerce expand their reach, individuals may retreat to localism as a haven in a difficult world. The chapter proposes – as a theory – that narrative imagination plays a key role in the ways that scholars describe religion in society.