About Jim Spickard

Jim Spickard retired in 2020 after 47 years of college and university teaching -- the last 31 at the University of Redlands, where he taught courses on the sociology of religion, social inequality, and social theory. He has written or edited eight books and authored over 80 journal articles and book chapters on such topics as theory in the sociology of religion, religious experience, religious social activism, human rights, and social science research methods. His most recent monograph, "Alternative Sociologies of Religion" (NYU 2017), reimagines what sociologists might notice about religion if they began from non-Western starting points rather than from Western Christian ones. His most recent edited book is ""Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization: Practical Tools for Improving Teaching, Research, and Scholarship", co-edited with Abby Day, Lois Lee, and Dave S.P. Thomas (Bristol 2022).
10 10, 2023

Job opening: Assistant Professor in Urban Religions

2023-10-10T08:14:27-04:00

Assistant Professor in Urban Religions – Position # 53620

 The Department of Religious Studies in Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences at Southern Methodist University invites applications for a tenure track position in Urban Religions at the rank of Assistant Professor. The position requires residency in Dallas and begins August 1, 2024.

As one of eight tenure-line positions associated with Southern Methodist University’s faculty cluster in urban research, this position offers opportunities for rich interdisciplinary connections among new and existing SMU faculty [https://www.smu.edu/Dedman/Research/Clusters]. The cluster fosters research on cities and urbanization from local and global perspectives. SMU’s location in Dallas, the fourth largest metropolitan area in the country, is an ideal setting for studying the […]

Job opening: Assistant Professor in Urban Religions2023-10-10T08:14:27-04:00
3 07, 2023

In Memory of James D. Davidson, Jr. (1942-2022) by Mary Gauthier

2023-07-05T09:22:52-04:00

 James D. “Jim” Davidson, Jr., 79, passed away on May 22, 2022.  Dr. Davidson was President of the Association for the Sociology of Religion from 2006 to 2007.  He was a national authority in the sociology of religion and a popular keynote speaker at gatherings of bishops, religious educators, and other church leaders. He was also an avid golfer, achieving four holes in one on the golf course.

Jim earned his bachelor’s degree in 1964 at Fairfield University and his master’s in 1966 and doctorate in 1969 from the University of Notre Dame. He joined the sociology faculty at Purdue University in 1968 and taught there until he retired in 2009.  Jim and his colleague Roger Finke were central in building […]

In Memory of James D. Davidson, Jr. (1942-2022) by Mary Gauthier2023-07-05T09:22:52-04:00
28 06, 2023

Survey of US Catholics shows refreshed enthusiasm among women

2023-07-05T09:23:45-04:00

National Catholic Reporter, Jan 11 2018

ASR Past-President Michelle Dillon reports on the changing levels of religious commitment among American Catholic women, based on the April, 2017, sixth iteration of the Catholics in Transition survey.  Among the findings is a difference from the 25-year decline in commitment that the team found from its 2011 survey:

“The overall story is one of stability, and even slightly increased commitment, rather than further decline. Catholic women’s weekly Mass attendance has stabilized. In 2011, continuing a pattern of sharp decline from the late 1980s, 31 percent of women went to Mass weekly, and a similar proportion reported weekly Mass in 2017 (see Figure 1). Today, women are just slightly more likely than men to go to […]

Survey of US Catholics shows refreshed enthusiasm among women2023-07-05T09:23:45-04:00
12 06, 2023

ASR News and Announcements (June 3, 2023)

2023-06-12T19:58:00-04:00

The theme for this year’s annual meeting is “Justice and Religion.” The meeting will be held August 19–21, 2023 at the Bellevue Hotel Philadelphia. We will begin with a Welcome Reception on the evening of Saturday, August 19. We are planning this reception as a joint reception with the ASA Religion Section. The ASA Sociology of Religion Section day is Saturday, August 19.

Our President, Gerardo Marti, and Program Chair, Ruth Braunstein, have promised to make this year’s meeting unique in terms of both its intellectual content and social gatherings. We can look forward to receptions, unique thematic sessions, the Presidential address, and our Furfey lecture with Penny Edgell from the University of Minnesota.

The ASR elections have closed. We elected a […]

ASR News and Announcements (June 3, 2023)2023-06-12T19:58:00-04:00
25 05, 2023

In Memory of Roland Robertson (1938-2022) by Michael A. Cavanaugh

2023-06-12T20:02:20-04:00

Google “Roland Robertson” and you will immediately encounter the terms “globalization” (and “glocalization”).  Strict priority might be disputed, but if any single name is rightly associated with these concepts, it is his.

On the other hand, read his Wikipedia entry and you come away with the impression that the globalization work is all he ever did.  This is of course not so, and today I wish to speak to the import of some his earlier work (from the 1960’s and 1970’s), setting it in the context of its times as well as its impact on the ASR, in which he was heavily involved for much of his career and of which he was President in 1987-88.

Roland was born just outside Norwich […]

In Memory of Roland Robertson (1938-2022) by Michael A. Cavanaugh2023-06-12T20:02:20-04:00
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