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The Importance of Protestantism in Max Weber's Theory of Secularisation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2009

Anthony J. Carroll
Anthony J. Carroll*
Affiliation:
Heythrop College, University of London [t.carroll@heythrop.ac.uk].
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Abstract

In this article, I review my recent book Protestant Modernity. Weber, Secularisation and Protestantism, which reconstructs Weber's theory of secularisation and argues that this is formulated within a liberal Protestant framework. I argue that this theory is a part of his Protestant account of modernity. I also sketch some of the major issues involved in developing a Catholic account of modernity and provide some worked through examples of the sociological implications of this change of confessional presuppositions.

Résumé

En relation avec le livre récent de l'auteur Protestant Modernity. Weber, Secularisation and Protestantism, qui reconstruit la théorie de la sécularisation de Weber, l'article montre que celle-ci est formulée dans le cadre du protestantisme libéral et qu'elle compte dans la contribution protestante à la modernité. L'auteur passe aussi en revue quelques grandes questions concernant la part du catholicisme à la modernité.

Zusammenfassung

Ich beschäftige mich in diesem Beitrag mit meinem neuesten Buch ”Protestant Modernity. Weber, Secularisation and Protestantism“, das Webers Säkularisationstheorie neu aufbaut und zeigt, dass diese dem liberalen Protestantismus angehört. Diese Theorie ist somit Teil seines protestantischen Beitrags zur Modernität. Desweiteren wird der katholische Beitrag zur Modernität beleuchtet.

Keywords

WeberLiberalProtestantismSecularisationCatholicModernityWeberLibéralProtestantismeSécularisationCatholiqueModernitéWeberLiberaleProtestantismusSäkularisationKatholischModernität
Type
Research Articles
Information
European Journal of Sociology / Archives Européennes de Sociologie , Volume 50 , Issue 1 , April 2009 , pp. 61 - 95
Copyright
Copyright © A.E.S. 2009

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