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About this Lecture

Lecture

In this lecture, we think about the very different relationship between religion and modernity which developed in the USA, focusing in particular on: (i) the more positive attitude towards religion of the American Enlightenment; (ii) the historical background from which this stemmed, centred around small Christian denominations settling in America in pursuit of religious freedom; (iii) the pattern of urbanisation in the US, wherein churches were not left behind but grew alongside urban communities; (iv) the “virtuous circle” of religion and modernity in the US, in contrast to the European “downward spiral”, and the challenge to secularisation theory this offers.

Course

In this course, Professor Grace Davie (University of Exeter) considers the relationship between religion and modernity. In the first lecture, we clarify the meaning of the term “modernity”. In the second lecture, we look at the trajectories of religion in Europe, noting that modernisation entailed secularisation. In the third lecture, we look at the trajectories of religion in the US, where religion and modernity have been mutually reinforcing. Next, we explore changes to modernity in the late-twentieth century, how they influenced religion, and whether the terms “late modernity” and “post modernity” are useful in characterising them. In the fifth lecture, we interrogate whether there is a universal narrative of religion and modernity through Shmuel Eisenstadt’s notion of “multiple modernities". In the sixth and final lecture, we conclude with Professor Davie’s thoughts on this question.

Lecturer

Professor Grace Davie is Professor Emeritus in Sociology at the University of Exeter. She is a leading sociologist of religion and has written widely on religion in the modern world. Her publications include Religion in Public Life: Levelling the Ground (2017), Religion in Britain: A Persistent Paradox (2015), and The Sociology of Religion: A Critical Agenda (2013).