डॉ. बी. आर. अम्बेडकर विश्‍वविद्यालय दिल्ली
Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University Delhi
Established by The Government of NCT of Delhi

Course Coordinator and Team: Dr Santosh Kumar Singh and Dr Priyasha Kaul. Email of course coordinator: Santosh@aud.ac.in and Priyasha@aud.ac.in

Pre-requisites: None. 

Aim: This compulsory course intends to provide the students at the Under Graduate level with an introduction to the basic conceptions in the sub discipline of Sociology of Religion. Starting with an overview of the various approaches adopted by other social sciences and theology to the study of religion, the course intends to familiarize the student with the ideas of classical as well as contemporary sociological perspectives. It engages with important turning points in the sub discipline over the course of its growth. The course in the latter half relies exclusively on issues of contemporary relevance.

These are issues where religion is seen to have made a comeback as a social phenomenon. Politics, social movements and concerted attempts at religious revival and reform would be some of the issues that the course intends to take up for analysis. The intention overall is to enable the student to develop the necessary conceptual clarity for being better able to gain a sociological sense of the historical and contemporary

social dimensions of religion, especially focusing on Indian society.

social dimensions of religion, especially focusing on Indian society.

Course Outcomes:

After completing this course, the student will be able to:

• Develop familiarity of the key sociological concepts and understanding of the sociology of religion and its relation to the social world.
• It provides students with an insight into the important theoretical perspectives in the sociological study of religion
• It enables the students to gain an understanding of the important religious aspects of religious movements and their dialogue with the larger dynamics in Indian society.
• It endeavours to highlight the intersectional role of religion in relation to a range of social identities in order for students to gain a holistic perspective on the subject.

Brief description of modules/ Main modules:

Module 1. Religion as an object of study

This module provides the overview of the study of religion in sociology. The aim is to familiarize the students with the intellectual background of religion as an object of sociological enquiry.

Module 2. Theoretical Perspectives on Religion

This module explores the key sociological perspectives on religion in sociology and analyses the crucial concepts in the sociological study of religion. It provides an overview of both

classical and contemporary theoretical perspectives on the study of religion. Module 3 Space, Time & Liminality

The unit analyses the sociological significance of rites and symbols in social life. In addition, it looks at the concept of liminality as between and betwixt everyday and the significance of social rules and liminality in relation to space and time.

Module 4 Religion and Social Movements

This unit analyses the multiple aspects of social religious movements in Indian society. The aim is to highlight the dynamic relation between religion and diverse social processes.

Module 5 Religion and Social Identities

This unit looks at the role of religion in relation to a range of different social identities. It focuses on religion in relation to caste, disability, gender and sexuality and social identity. Assessment Details with weights:

The course evaluation will require three assignments in line with the university policy on

assessment and evaluation. The course evaluation and assessment will involve three assessment

situations which may include presentation, submissions, in-class test and an end semester exam.

Reading List:

Essential Readings:

Module 1. Religion as an object of study

This module provides the overview of the study of religion in sociology. The aim is to familiarize the students with the intellectual background of religion as an object of sociological enquiry.

Beteille, Andre (1992), “Religion as a Subject for Sociology” in Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 27, No. 35 (Aug. 29, 1992), pp. 1865-1870

Madan, T. N. (2004). ‘Religions of India’ in Veena Das (ed.) Oxford Handbook of Indian Sociology, New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Module 2. Theoretical Perspectives on Religion

This module explores the key sociological perspectives on religion in sociology and analyses the crucial concepts in the sociological study of religion. It provides an overview of both

classical and contemporary theoretical perspectives on the study of religion. Classical Perspective:

Durkheim, E. (1915). Elementary Forms of Religious Life. London: George Allen and Unwin. (chapter 1)

Weber, M. 2002. The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Captalism, translated by Stephen Kalberg.Blackwell.London. (Ch1, 3 & 4)

Contemporary Perspectives:

Furseth I. and Repstad P. (2006). An introduction to the Sociology of Religion. England: Ashgate. (Ch 5- The great narratives: Modernity, postmodernity, globalization, and secularization)

Module 3 Space, Time & Liminality

The unit analyses the sociological significance of rites and symbols in social life. In addition,

it looks at the concept of liminality as between and betwixt every day and the significance of social rules and liminality in relation to space and time.

van Gennep, A (1960). Rites of Passage. London: Routledge. (Chapter 1 and Conclusion)

Turner, V. (1969). The Ritual Process: Structure and Anti-Structure. New Brunswick/London: AldineTransaction (Chapter 3 Liminality and Communitas) Evans-Pritchard, E. E. 1963 (1940). "Time and Space." In The Nuer. Oxford: Clarendon Press, pp. 94-98, 100-108.

Uberoi, J.P.S. (1991) Five symbols of Sikh Identity in T. N. Madan (ed.) Religion in India. OUP: New Delhi.

Module 4 Religion and Social Movements

This unit analyses the multiple aspects of social religious movements in Indian society. The aim is to highlight the dynamic relation between religion and diverse social processes.

Ambedkar, B.R. (2002). ‘Buddha or Karl Marx’ in Valerian Rodrigues (ed.) The Essential Writings of B R Ambedkar, Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Dash. B (2018). ‘Faith, Fluidity and Famine: Mahima Movement and the Subversive Subaltern Politics’ in International Journal of Humanistic Ideology (Santosh Kr Singh and Dev N. Pathak (eds.) special issue- Fluid Faith, Rigid Religion: In the framework of South Asia), Vol. 1(3), 11- 145.

Lorenzen, D. N. (1987). Traditions of non-caste Hinduism: the Kabir Panth. Contributions to Indian sociology, 21(2), 263-283.

Pemberton, K. (2010). Women mystics and Sufi shrines in India. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press. (Introduction)

Singh, S. K. (2017). ‘The Caste Question & Songs of Protest’, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 52, No. 34, pp. 33-37.

Module 5 Religion and Social Identities

This unit looks at the role of religion in relation to a range of different social identities. It focuses on religion in relation to caste, disability, gender and sexuality and social identity.

Agoramoorthy, G., & Hsu, M. J. (2015). Living on the societal edge: India’s

transgender realities. Journal of religion and health, 54, 1451-1459.

Dube, L. (2010). ‘Çaste and Women’ in Shashi Motilal and Bijaylaxmi Nanda (eds.) Understanding Social Inequality: Concerns of Human Rights, Gender and Environment, Delhi: Macmillan.

Kaul, P. (2012). ‘Exploring ‘Anwar’: Religion, Identity and Nationalism’ in Christopher Flood, Stephen Hutchings, Galina Miazhevich and Henri Nickels (eds.)

Political and Cultural Representations of Muslims: Islam in the Plural, Leiden/Boston: Brill Publishers.

Wrigley, M., & LaGory, M. (1994). The role of religion and spirituality in rehabilitation: A sociological perspective. Journal of Religion in Disability & Rehabilitation, Vol. 1(3), 27-40.

Additional Visual Resources:

1. Rites of Passage- Discovery channel documentary on rituals
2. The Name of the Rose- Documentary on the Devdasis/Ajmer Sharif
3. Other documentary/visual resources. Suggested Readings:

Brass, P. (2006). ‘Indian Secularism in practice’, Indian Journal of Secularism, Vol. 9, pp. 115 32.

Chakravarti, U. (1989). The world of the Bhaktin in South Indian traditions: The body and beyond. Manushi, 50(52), 18-29.

Eck, D. (1982). Banaras: The city of light. New York: Knopf

Frykenberg, R. E. (2008). Christianity in India: from beginnings to the present. Oxford University Press.

Gilsenan, M. (1982). Recognising Islam: An Anthropologist’s Introduction. Croom Helm: London (chs. 1, 2).

Hawley, J.S. (2015). A storm of songs: India and the idea of the Bhakti movement. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press (Introduction)

Madan, T.N. (ed.) Religion in India, New Delhi: Oxford University Press.

Madan, T.N. (1991). ‘Secularism in its place’ in Madan, T.N. (ed.) Religion in India. New Delhi: Oxford University Press

Malekandathil, P., Pachuau, J., & Sarkar, T. (2016). Christianity in Indian history: issues of