Studying Religion, Making It Sociological 29
and appear likely to develop further in the foreseeable future. These opportunities come
about through participation in multidisciplinary organizations (such as the Society
for the Scientific Study of Religion and the American Academy of Religion), through
specialized programs and new majors for undergraduates (such as American Studies,
African-American Studies, or Women’s Studies), and through various research centers
and institutes (Roof 1999b).
One form of interaction across disciplines consists of research and teaching involv-
ing scholars from different disciplines, or work done by an individual scholar that in-
tentionally spans disciplines. Examples include studies combining history and ethnog-
raphy, historical data with new insights from gender studies or organizational analysis,
or sociological studies of congregations that include theological interpretations (Orsi
1985; Griffith 1997; Hall 1999). Sociological concepts and methods are frequently
evident in such studies, even when the primary author’s training is in another disci-
pline. A second form of interaction consists of organized research projects or centers.
Interaction of this kind has increased in recent years as funding for research has be-
come more readily available. Yet another form of multidisciplinary interaction occurs
through programs and centers specifically designed to encourage exchanges across a
variety of disciplines.
The principal advantage of multidisciplinary interaction is that it encourages schol-
arship to be clearer about its assumptions and the reasons for its existence. A further
advantage of multidisciplinary interaction (perhaps as a by-product) is that it often
generates greater appreciation of the strengths of a particular disciplinary approach.
In addition, multidisciplinary research and teaching integrates the study of religion
into various disciplines and departments, showing that religion is not an autonomous
realm, populated only by believers and fellow travelers, but a feature of human life that
has broad implications for the understanding of such diverse topics as politics, ethics,
and literature.
CONCLUSION
Perhaps the most daunting aspect of studying any topic concerning religion and want-
ing to make it sociological is that the number of studies, faculty, and students inter-
ested in such topics has mushroomed during the past fifty – and even the past twenty –
years. Part of this growth is attributable to the fact that higher education generally
has expanded during this time, and the growth also has been fueled by resources from
foundations for sponsored research and by greater inclusion of courses about religion
in universities. Whereas the challenge in an earlier era was to find any relevant in-
formation on particular topics, now the challenge is sorting out the best studies and
concentrating on topics that are truly worthy of one’s time.
What makes this explosion of information manageable is the fact that electronic
indexing and reference services now make it possible to search more easily for rele-
vant studies. Texts, anthologies, and handbooks provide starting points, but are readily
supplemented by online syllabi, discussion groups, abstracts, and full-text journals. A
student interested in sibling differences in religion need only identify a few key words
in order to locate dozens of relevant articles and books.
Electronic information nevertheless cannot fully address the lingering concern that
there may be something awkward about studying religion from a sociological per-
spective. This awkwardness, I have suggested, stems largely from misunderstandings