Religion and Social Movements - UT Liberal Arts



Religion and Social Movements

Day 2

PART 1. Answer ONE of the following three questions.

1. Religious beliefs, rituals, and institutions provide rich sources of inspiration for the advancement of social and political movements. What makes religion different from other sources of motivation for social movements? Just how do religious phenomena affect resource mobilization, framing, and political processes and opportunities of social movements and their participants?

2. How do religious traditions and institutions provide structural and ideological supports for both the status quo and for resistance or insurgency movements in various societies. Do social theories of our political sociology provide adequate explanations of the multivalent character of the role of religion in social movements?

3. Do religious values and beliefs shape social movements or not?  Outline arguments that would be used against your point of view and then critique them. In answering this question, make sure to distinguish between the instrumental use of religious values by movement activists and activists on moral missions.

PART 2. Answer ONE of the following three questions.

4. How could Georg Simmel’s method, sensitizing concepts, and major contributions deepen our understanding of the intersection of religion and social movements? Use empirical case studies to illustrate your argument.

5. Use your knowledge of the social movement literature to theorize about a religious social movement you know well.  How does your knowledge of the religious aspects of the movement challenge and/or inform dominant social theories in relation to this movement?

6. Do you think religious social movements are on the rise as some have argued? If yes, what broad religious, social, and/or political processes might explain this current rise of religious activism? If no, why are there many misguided social scientists wringing their hands about the rise of religious movements? If you think the verdict is still out (i.e., we don’t really know if they are on the rise or not), discuss what kind of sociological research is needed to answer the question and speculate on what that research would find and why.

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