British Sociological Association Sociology of Religion Study Group

Click here for the conference programme

This year the 32nd annual conference of the BSA Sociology of Religion Study Group was organised in conjunction with the UK Research Network for Theology, Religion and Popular Culture and took place 2 - 4 April at St Catherine's College Oxford. Ninety eight delegates - from the UK, Europe, Turkey, North America and Australia - responded to papers and presentations on the conference theme.

The first of three Plenaries was on the theme of 'The changing face of religion in a media age' and consisted of two lectures, both related to the proposition that a practice-based paradigm of the range of media-orientated practices, incorporating both media inputs and media consumption, can usefully illuminate the interface between the secular and the sacred and the transformation of religious practice in a media saturated environment. Lynn Schofield Clark (University of Denver) discussed 'Fashion Bibles and Muslim Pop: The Emergence of Religious Lifestyle Branding in the West'. Focussing on the twin phenomena of the Revolve Fashion Bible (a Bible published in a topical magazine format influenced by glossy teenage magazines) and Muslim 'pop' and 'rap' music, she argued that faith groups are increasingly utilising familiar life-style accoutrements to successfully promote a holistic religious lifestyle among young people and, by extension, that not only is religion increasingly marketed as a product and a site of consumption, but that these distinctions are becoming increasingly blurred. Next, Nick Couldry (Goldsmiths), in a very Durkheimian reading of culture, discussed 'Media Rituals: From Durkheim on Religion to Jade Goody on Religious Toleration', inviting those present to rethink customary concepts of ritual behaviour. He argued that the 'new ritual practices' (and by extension - the sacred) are located not so much now in religion as in the media, and specifically in reality television and the ritualisation of celebrity culture, whereby ubiquitous 'celebrities' take on board the status of pundits and where universal moral and ethical dilemmas are played out for a mass audience.

The second plenary also consisted of two lectures both directed towards the theme of 'Religion, ethics and cultural practice'. Tom Beaudoin (Santa Clara) gave the first address on 'Some concepts for thinking ethically about popular cultural studies: a theological perspective'. In describing the linkages between popular culture and religion and between cultural studies and theology, Beaudoin staked a claim for researcher subjectivity as a rationale for analysis; couched in terms of personal investment in the types of popular culture that they would seek to describe - and implicitly rejecting the Cartesian insistence on objectivity. In reflecting on one's own cultural experience and the ways in which it informs values and ethical thinking, this opens up the way for a reflexively based and transformative theology based upon these personal reflections of meaningful cultural experience and practice. Thus the distinctions between cultural and theological studies are collapsed, reflecting the ways in which popular culture itself has progressively come to frame questions of ultimate meaning - particularly where they relate to suffering or other types of intense personal experience. Next, Stephen Pattison (Cardiff) spoke on 'The ethics of everyday life and material culture: a theological approach'. Pattison also questioned the sacred cow of Cartesian methodological objectivity. Rather than slavishly conforming to the dichotomy of subjectivity and objectivity we should, he argues, rethink our relationship to material objects to recognise that individuals routinely enter into person-like relations with material objects, whether they be artefacts or manifestations of the material world. Underlying this recognition and rationale is a move from subject-object models to subject-subject models and a distinctive ethical stance centred on a paradigm of mutual recognition and respect for all things. In abandoning the Cartesian dualism of scientific objectivity and distance the way is opened for knowledge based upon respect and appreciation (with clear implications for environmental ethics) and even, for a thoroughgoing critique of consumerist societies.

The third plenary was to have been a discussion between Robert Beckford and Michael Wakelin, Head of Religion and Ethics at the BBC - the theme being 'The Future of Religious Broadcasting in the UK'. Michael Wakelin was unwell, so Aaqil Ahmed, the Channel 4 Commissioning Editor for Religion stepped into the breach. As a commissioning editor who was headhunted from the BBC, he has fought for a higher profile for religiously themed programmes and successfully argued that they should be shown at times outside the traditional 'graveyard' slots. In a very entertaining as well as informative plenary, delegates were shown clips from successful prime-time programmes including such ratings successes as Karbala - City of Martyrs, Children of Abraham, The Cult of the Suicide Bomber, Tsunami: Where was God? and Priest Idol. Some key issues in religious broadcasting were also explored. Success in this field is very much linked with getting away from customary worship based approaches to religious broadcasting and adopting a hard-hitting current affairs approach that is also entertaining. The revival of interest in religion themed programmes reflects a wider societal interest in religion and this has also extended to non-Christian faiths and Channel 4 has recently shown a third series of Shariah TV, which is aimed at Muslim audiences.

The conference also hosted fifty eight short papers organised in parallel streams. These covered a range of topics, most orientated towards the conference theme. They included papers related to the role of media in religious change and conflict; religion, spirituality and the practices of everyday life; religion and film; intersections between religion and the sacred with cultural texts and practices; religion and the internet; between secularisation and sacralisation - interdisciplinary approaches; apocalypse, the media and the future of religion; finding religion in popular culture; young people, media and religion; media, popular culture and emerging forms of religion; theorising religion, media and cultures of everyday life; media and the representation of religion; the uses of media by religious groups; religion in the media; religion and the secular in media and film; religion and popular music, and theology in and through popular culture. The conference was marked by its interdisciplinary ethos, with cultural and media and film studies strongly represented and theology making an interesting addition to the customary sociological focus. Indeed, writing as a sociologist, one of the most interesting facets of this conference for me was the very close synthesis of much contemporary theology with social scientific thinking.The AGM was held during the conference on 3 April. Sarah Page (Nottingham) was elected Post-graduate Liaison Officer. Sarah has been an active member of the Post-graduate Forum and The Study Group wishes her every success as she takes up her new role. The gratitude and best wishes of the membership was expressed to outgoing PLO, Abby Day (University of Lancaster) who has done a fantastic job during her period of office. Peter Gee, who has done sterling work for the Study Group as Convenor, very graciously agreed to continue in this role for the short-term future. During the meeting a number of upcoming Study Group events were announced. This year's autumn study day (November 17th) will be hosted by Stephen Hunt at the University of the West of England in Bristol and the theme will be 'Religion, Spirituality and Gay Sexuality'. Next year's annual conference will be hosted by Sylvia Collins-Mayo at Kingston University and the theme will be 'Young People and Religion'. Lastly, the Post-graduate conference, hosted by Kieran Flanagan, will be held at the University of Bristol in January 2008.

Paul Chambers