The Centrality of Religion in Social Life: Essays in Honour of James A. Beckford Book

1 Thinking Sociologically about Religion: Contexts, Concepts and Clarifications Grace Davie Davie, Grace 15

2 Religious Individualism, Modern Individualism and Self-fulfilment: A few Reflections on the Origins of Contemporary Religious Individualism Daniele Hervieu-Leger Hervieu-Leger, Daniele 29

3 The Paradoxes of Laicite in France Jean-Paul Willaime Willaime, Jean-Paul 41

4 French Cult Controversy at the Turn of the New Millennium: Escalation, Dissensions and New Forms of Mobilisations across the Battlefield Veronique Altglas Altglas, Veronique 55

5 Two Different Types of Manifest Secularization: Belgium and France Compared Karel Dobbelaere Dobbelaere, Karel 69

6 The Inner-World Mysticism and a Successful Social Integration of the Sikh Panth Enzo Pace Pace, Enzo 85

7 A Movement without a Crisis is a Movement with a Crisis: A Paradox in Search of a Paradigm J. Demerath Demerath, J. 93

8 The European Court of Human Rights, Minority Religions, and the Social Construction of Religious Freedom James T. Richardson Richardson, James T. Jennifer Shoemaker Shoemaker, Jennifer 103

9 The Trumpet Sounds Retreat: Learning from the Jehovah's Witnesses David Voas Voas, David 117

10 Theorising Conversion: Can we use Conversion Accounts as Sources to Actual Past Processes? Margit Warburg Warburg, Margit 131

11 From 'Visiting Minister' to 'Muslim Chaplain': The Growth of Muslim Chaplaincy in Britain, 1970-2007 Sophie Gilliat-Ray Gilliat-Ray, Sophie 145

12 The Religious and the Political David Martin Martin, David 161

13 Religion, Human Power and Powerlessness Thomas Luckmann Luckmann, Thomas 175

14 The Church Without and the God Within:Religiosity and/or Spirituality? Eileen Barker Barker, Eileen 187

15 Contemporary Religions and the Public Arena: Centring on the Situation in Japan Susumu Shimazono Shimazono, Susumu 203

16 Toward a Sociology of Spirituality: Individual Religion in Social/Historical Context Meredith B. McGuire McGuire, Meredith B. 215

App A list of James A. Beckford's most important works 233

Index 239