Religion and Change in Modern Britain

This book offers a fully up-to-date and comprehensive guide to religion in Britain since 1945. A team of leading scholars provide a fresh analysis and overview, with a particular focus on diversity and change. They examine: - relations between religious and secular beliefs and institutions - the evolving role and status of the churches - the growth and 'settlement' of non-Christian religious communities - the spread and diversification of alternative spiritualities - religion in welfare, education, media, politics and law - theoretical perspectives on religious change. The volume presents the latest research, including results from the largest-ever research initiative on religion in Britain, the AHRC/ESRC Religion and Society Programme. Survey chapters are combined with detailed case studies to give both breadth and depth of coverage. The text is accompanied by relevant photographs and a companion website.

Linda Woodhead MBE is Professor of Sociology of Religion at Lancaster University, UK and Director of the Religion and Society Research Programme. She is co-editor of Religions in the Modern World (2nd edition, Routledge 2009), co-author of A Sociology of Religious Emotion (OUP 2010) and The Spiritual Revolution (Blackwell 2005), and author of An Introduction to Christianity (CUP 2004). Rebecca Catto is Research Associate for the Religion and Society Programme at Lancaster University, UK. She has published on religion and law, globalization, and is Principal Investigator on a project researching young atheists in Britain.

Notes on Contributors Introduction Linda Woodhead Chapter 1: Controversies as a Lens on Change Malory Nye and Paul Weller Part 1: Changing Religious Forms Chapter 2: Christianity: Loss of Monopoly Mathew Guest, Elizabeth Olson and John Wolffe Case Study 1: The Formation of the United Reformed Church Stephen Orchard Chapter 3: Judaism, Sikhism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism: Post-war Settlements Robert Bluck, Sophie Gilliat-Ray, David J. Graham, Gurharpal Singh and John Zavos Case Study 2: The Inter Faith Network and the Development of Interfaith Relations in Britain Brian Pearce Chapter 4: Alternative Spiritualities: Marginal and Mainstream Graham Harvey and Giselle Vincett Chapter 5: God-change Mark Chapman, Shuruq Naguib and Linda Woodhead Case Study 3: The Religiosity of Young People Growing up in Poverty Giselle Vincett and Elizabeth Olson Chapter 6: Changing British Ritualization Douglas Davies Case Study 4: Multi-faith Spaces as Symptoms and Agents of Change Ralf Brand Images of Religion and Change in Modern Britain: People, Events, Objects & Places Part 2: Wider Influences Chapter 7: The Changing Faces of Media and Religion Kim Knott and Jolyon Mitchell Case Study 5: Religion, Youth Cultures and Popular Music Brendan Stuart and Chris Partridge Chapter 8: Religion, Welfare and Education Adam Dinham and Robert Jackson Case Study 6: The Role of Faith-Based Organizations in Service Provision for Homeless People Sarah Johnsen Chapter 9: Religion, Politics and Law Gladys Ganiel and Peter Jones Case Study 7: Religion, Human Rights Law, and 'Opting Out' of Religious Education Alison Mawhinney, Ulrike Niens, Norman Richardson and Yuko Chiba Part 3: Theoretical Perspectives Chapter 10: Cultural Perspectives Callum Brown and Gordon Lynch Chapter 11: Social Perspectives Elisabeth Arweck and James A. Beckford Chapter 12: The Religious and the Secular David Martin with Rebecca Catto