Secularisation in Early Sociology

Secularisation and Religion in Sociology

In this course, Professor Grace Davie (University of Exeter) explores thinking about secularisation and religion in Sociology. In the first lecture, we think about the centrality of secularisation in the theories of three “founding fathers” of the discipline – Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Émile Durkheim. In the second lecture, we examine the development of secularisation theory in the twentieth century, including the “strong” version outlined by Bryan Wilson and Steve Bruce. In the third lecture, we think about the context-specific approach advocated by David Martin and Professor Davie. Next, we consider global perspectives which challenge the idea of secularisation. In the fifth lecture, we consider whether it is necessary to rethink previous ideas about religion and secularisation. In the sixth and final lecture, we look at some important current trends and think about possible futures for religion.

Secularisation in Early Sociology

In this lecture, we think about the concept of secularisation and its place in the early development of Sociology, focusing in particular on: (i) the importance of secularisation in the thought of three “founding fathers” of Sociology – Karl Marx, Max Weber, and Émile Durkheim – in terms of their different approaches to understanding modern society; (ii) the issue of timing in the study of secularisation – at what point did societies go from being “religious” to “secular”?; (iii) four key terms associated with secularisation – “secular”, “secularity”, “secularism”, and “secularisation”.