School of Social and Political Science

Description

Part of the Sociology Speaker Series

About the talk:

Part of a larger project examining the social conditions of possibility for conceiving the divine in monotheistic terms, this paper examines Shailer Mathews’ historical sociology of religion, which has been roundly ignored for the better part of a Century. In two important books, The Atonement and the Social Process (1930) and Growth of the Idea of God (1931) Mathews argues that images of the divine have drawn on political concepts, and are premised on political relations and institutions. Images of the gods are drawn from the experience of social superiors, be those tribal elders, feudal lords, or monarchs. Religious imagery has thus relied on political metaphors, making consideration of the emergence and growth of the state essential for understanding religious development and change. Considering the utility of his approach, I will argue that Mathews’ theoretical schema has much to recommend it, though it could be supplemented by a dialectic approach to the social logic of metaphor. This would facilitate the operation of religion within relations of power as well as power relations within the religious imagination.

About the speaker:

Andrew McKinnon is Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Sociology at the University of Aberdeen. His primary areas of interest are in the sociology of religion, especially conflicts over sexuality within global Anglicanism, and social theory, taking particular interest in the role of metaphor in the construction of sociological theories.

About the series:

The Sociology Speaker Series presents the latest research by academic staff members and distinguished guests from across the United Kingdom and beyond. Registration is free and open to all University of Edinburgh students and staff.