Frank J. Lechner

Secularization in the Netherlands ? Authors's replies

This paper refutes Stark and Iannaccones recent argument about secularization in Europe as applied to the Netherlands. Relevant Dutch evidence shows that both organized religion and subjective religiosity have declined in the Netherlands since the 1950s. Any deregulation and increases in pluralism that occurred in that period did not have the theoretically expected effects. The anomalous Dutch case casts further doubt on the explanatory power of supply-side theories in the sociology of religion.

The institutional order : economy, kinship, religion, polity, law, and education in evolutionary and comparative perspective

1.The Institutional Structure of Society. 2.Economy. 3.Economy in Institutional Context. 4.Kinship. 5.Kinship in Institutional Context. 6.Religion. 7.Religion in Institutional Context. 8.Polity. 9.Polity in Institutional Context. 10.Law. 11.Law in Institutional Context. 12.Education. 13.Education in Institutional Context. 14.Fundamental Interchanges in the Institutional Order.

Theory of action : towards a new synthesis going beyond Parsons

Professor Richard Munch sets out to reformulate the theory of action, a notion central to sociology and one to which all schools of thought within sociology have contributed. He includes an account of Parsons voluntaristic theory of action.

Fundamentalism and Sociocultural Revitalization in America: A Sociological Interpretation

Applying action-theoretical concepts to historical studies of revitalization movements and Awakenings, this paper proposes an analytical conception of fundamentalism. It is argued that various revitalization episodes in American religious history had fundamentalist aspects but also entailed unintended modernizing consequences. Outlining some of the factors accounting for the reemergence of ostensibly anti-modern fundamentalism as a salient general movement, the paper argues that it is in fact a quintessentially modern phenomenon.

Globalization and World Culture

This article explores the origins, development, structure, and impact of world culture in relation to globalization over the past two centuries. It discusses the complex and largely rationalized content of world culture and the rise and proliferation of organizations that generate, debate, and propagate world culture, particularly international nongovernmental organizations. It describes world-cultural processes that promote homogenization and heterogeneity at the global, national, and local level, and the consequences for national identity of world-spanning cultural development. The article concludes with a discussion of the role and significance of religions and religiosity in a globalized world.

Ethnicity and Revitalization in the Modern World System

Abstract A “romantic syndrome” is defined as that type of anti-modern revitalisation movement which is oriented to resolving the discontents produced by universalistic inclusion in modern societies, by means of reintegration in terms of presumed historical community. The theme, thrust, and internal tensions of ethnic movements are analyzed along lines suggested by the ideal-typical romantic syndrome. The form and emergence of ethnic-romantic movements are interpreted in terms of a theoretical framework containing internal-societal and transsocietal variables. Romanticism and fundamentalism are briefly compared, with emphasis on the paradoxical features and quintessentially modern character of ostensibly anti-modern movements.

Parsons on citizenship

In Parsonss analysis of citizenship, his general theory, liberal views, and assessment of American society intersect. Drawing from these distinctive sources, Parsons addresses questions still central to the study of citizenship. While Parsons presents a strong case for inclusion by means of liberal citizenship as an integrative force in modern societies, his treatment of inclusion is also limited in several respects. For example, Parsons elaborates one model of citizenship without attending to historical origins and variations; he stresses education as a type of cultural right but does not demonstrate the specific integrative role of higher education. As global controversy continues to swirl around liberal models of citizenship, Parsonss work can help in framing theoretically grounded responses to challenges to those models, such as communitarianism and fundamentalism, though it does not capture all possible forms of social integration.

Sociology as a Vocation.

What does it mean to be a sociologist? Does it still make sense to “commit a social science”? This essay reflects on the former question and answers the latter affirmatively. It accepts much of Weber’s argument in “Science as a Vocation,” but it goes beyond Weber by suggesting that the practice of sociology is meaningful in ways he did not fully recognize. The point of doing sociology is not only being dedicated to specialized scholarly work or called to illuminate human affairs, but also being oriented to certain virtues and moved by a particular kind of passion.

Fundamentalism: Origins and Influence

Fundamentalists are not in search of fundamentals. They have found the Truth. All they seek is a society solidly based on that Truth. Modern society, after all, has veered away from the true path and undermined the sacred tradition. It has offered false gods. It has called into question the very value of fundamentals. Modernity is thus in need of a spiritual and political revival that would restore a tradition in terms of which people can lead meaningful lives. Only such a restoration would give society itself the fundamentals it requires. Institutions would once again serve an ultimate moral purpose. Politics would become a matter of giving practical form to sacred principles. Full membership in the community would be granted to those who share and abide by the true faith. No sphere of life could evade the influence of the all-encompassing fundamentals. The fundamentalist search, which I have just sketched in an ideal-typical fashion, is thus not so much an effort to find meaning where there was none, but rather a collective attempt to bring certain fundamental, sacred principles to bear on society as a whole. For some American Protestants, it means above all making the US a Christian country again; for Islamic activists, it means taking seriously the “neglected duty” of engaging in jihad and establishing an Islamic state (cf. Jansen 1986). To use the sociological jargon and identify a possible common denominator in the family resemblances sketched by Marty and Appleby (1991), their fundamentalism constitutes a form of value-oriented dedifferentiation, aimed at the reconstruction of society. Precisely this larger ambition, perhaps more than the deep values particular groups claim for themselves, makes fundamentalism sociologically interesting.

Social Differentiation and Modernity: On Simmel’s Macrosociology

Simmel’s work has long been recognized as a major contribution to sociological theory and it has received increasing attention in recent years; yet by comparison with other classical contributions the significance of his work continues to be underestimated. For example, in several recent reinterpretations of classical theory Simmel is barely mentioned at all (Alexander 1981—4; Habermas 1981). Much earlier, Parsons had left Simmel out of The Structure of Social Action after having drafted a chapter on his work, and this decision surely con-tributed to the relative neglect of Simmel. Among the substantive reasons for this neglect are the level of abstraction of much of Simmel’s writings and the persistent perception of him as an insightful essayist.