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Contemporary society
About: Contemporary society is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 3991 publications have been published within this topic receiving 91755 citations.
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TL;DR: In this paper, a psychological understanding of transformative ritual has been presented. But, a psychological approach to the meaning-making process of a transformative ritual is not yet available, and in contemporary society, meaning making proces...
Abstract: Rituals are argued to be transformative in the literature. However, a psychological understanding of transformative ritual has been lacking. Moreover, in contemporary society, meaning-making proces...
23 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that synergy between the scholarship on governmentality and sociology of religion would allow for a more nuanced understanding of the politics and culture of post-secular societies, and argue that synergies between the disciplines of governmentality, sociology of faith, and social sciences would allow to understand the social and political importance of religious institutions.
Abstract: Foucault’s concept of governmentality, and its attending modalities of biopower and disciplinary technologies, provides a useful conceptual schema for the analysis of the role of religious and quasi-religious institutions in contemporary society. This is particularly important in the study of those neoliberal democratic states where religious organizations constitute an important presence in the civil society. As religion is thoroughly involved in the reproduction of social structure in most societies, an appraisal of the social and political importance of religious institutions is needed to understand the articulation and exercise of governmentality. This is not just limited to partnerships between state agencies and faith-based organizations in providing for social services, but also in rituals and other religious group activities of these organizations that play a vital role in shaping and molding the social and political subjectivities of the adherents. We argue that synergy between the scholarship on governmentality, and sociology of religion would allow for a more nuanced understanding of the politics and culture of post-secular societies.
23 citations
TL;DR: This paper explored the arguments taking place within Muslims living in Britain concerning their relations with the non-Muslim majority, and showed that Muslim identity is a site of contestation with different identity constructions being advanced by those seeking to organise divergent forms of claims-making and collective action.
Abstract: Recent thinking on the topic of citizenship addresses the diversity to be found in contemporary societies. In so doing, it draws attention to issues raised by the assertion of group identities. Correspondingly, developingconceptions of citi zenship move beyond considerations of individuals' legal rights and obligations, and highlight the importance of exploring the processes by which collective rights are asserted. This puts the issue of identity and identity-related action centre stage. In this paper we develop a social psychological perspective on collective identity and action that contributes to these developments. Using data gathered from Muslims living in Britain, we explore the arguments taking place within this community concerning their relations with the non-Muslim majority (especially as manifested in a debate concerning participation in UK General Elections). We show that Muslim identity is a site of contestation with different identity constructions being advanced by those seeking to organise divergent forms of claims-making and collective action. More specifically, we show how contrasting forms of action (designed to bring about different social relations) are advanced through different invocations of Prophetic example when Muslims were social and numerical minorities. Overall, we hope to illustrate the importance of conceiving of identities as constructed in the context of articulating, and mobilising support for, political claims.
23 citations
TL;DR: This article argued that fantasy fiction both reflects and forms religious interests and religious fascination in contemporary society, and, in combination with the related new virtual worlds of the supernatural, fantasy fiction provides sites for exploration of religion.
23 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that racial profiling is embedded in much larger social developments that must be explored in order to understand the role race now plays in the maintenance of social order in contemporary American society.
Abstract: In the United States the phenomenon of racial profiling has emerged as an important and controversial issue within political and criminal justice policy debates. For the most part, these debates have assumed a sort of racism at work in order to explain law enforcement's use of criminal profiles largely determined by racial classifications. Accordingly, many have worked to expose this allegedly racist behavior in the hopes that such exposure will bring an end to the practice. This essay argues that racial profiling is embedded in much larger social developments that must be explored in order to understand the role race now plays in the maintenance of social order in contemporary American society.
23 citations