Grace Davie

Grace Davie is a Professor emeritus of Sociology at the University of Exeter[1] and author of the book Religion in Britain since 1945: Believing without belonging.[2]

Background

Davie's research interests lie in the sociology of religion.[3] In her book Religion in Britain since 1945, she coined the phrase "believing without belonging"[4] to describe religiosity and secularization in Britain.[5] This is the argument that although church attendance has decreased,[6] people may still think of themselves as religious on an individual level.[7]

With this and other works, Davie entered the international ongoing debate on secularization, after Rodney Stark and other American scholars had observed that quantitative data about the United States did not confirm the theory defended in Europe by Karel Dobbelaere and Steve Bruce, implying that modernization necessarily causes a decline of religion. European defenders of secularization theories suggested that an “American exceptionalism” explained why a generally valid hypothesis did not apply to the United States, due to some unique circumstances prevailing there. Davie reversed this theory, and suggested the existence of a “European exceptionalism,” explaining why classic secularization theories are valid in Europe but cannot be verified in the rest of the world.[8]

To explain European exceptionalism, Davie introduced yet another new concept, “vicarious religion,” meaning that modern Europeans are happy to “delegate” to a minority of active believers participation in regular church activities, something they approve of but are no longer ready to engage in. This theory was also criticized by those who adhere to classic theories of secularization, who claimed that a generalized sympathy for the religious minority among the non-religious majority cannot be unequivocally demonstrated.[9]

Career

Davie has written several works during her career, including Religion in Britain since 1945 (1994), Religion in Modern Europe (2000), Europe: the Exceptional Case (2002), The Sociology of Religion (2013) and Religion in Britain: A Persistent Paradox (2015).[10]

Davie has an undergraduate degree in Sociology from the University of Exeter, and a PhD from the London School of Economics.[3] From 2000 to 2001 she was the Kerstin-Hesselgren Professor at the University of Uppsala in Sweden.[11] She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Theology from the University of Uppsala in 2008.[12]

Davie is Past-President of the Association for the Sociology of Religion (2003)[13] and the International Sociological Association RC22 Sociology of Religion Board (2002-2006).[14]

Davie is a participating researcher in The Impact of Religion: Challenges for Society, Law and Democracy (IMPACT), a multidisciplinary research programme at Uppsala University, in the research area Religious and Social Change.[1]

Davie is a lay Canon of the Church of England Diocese in Europe.[15]

Publications
  • Religion in Britain Since 1945: Believing Without Belonging (1994) ISBN 978-0631184447
  • Religion in Modern Europe: A Memory Mutates (2000) ISBN 978-0199241248
  • Europe-The Exceptional Case: Parameters of Faith in the Modern World Sarum Theological Lectures (2002) ISBN 978-0232524253
  • The Sociology of Religion: A Critical Agenda (2013) ISBN 978-1849205870
  • Religion in Britain: A Persistent Paradox (2015) ISBN 978-1405135962
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References
  1. "Participating researchers and International Advisors - Uppsala Religion and Society Research Centre (CRS) - Uppsala University, Sweden". www.crs.uu.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  2. "Interview: Grace Davie, sociologist of religion". www.churchtimes.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  3. Robinson, Debbie. "University of Exeter". socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  4. British social attitudes : the 26th report. Park, Alison, 1966-. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE Publications. 2010. ISBN 9781446212073. OCLC 649910769.CS1 maint: others (link)
  5. The SAGE handbook of the sociology of religion. Beckford, James A., Demerath, N. J. (Nicholas Jay), 1936-, Sage Publications., Sage eReference (Online service). Los Angeles: SAGE Publications. 2007. ISBN 9781848607965. OCLC 676908392.CS1 maint: others (link)
  6. Aldridge, A (2013). Religion in the contemporary world : a sociological introduction. Oxford: Polity Press. p. 147.
  7. British social attitudes : perspectives on a changing society : the 23rd report. Park, Alison., National Centre for Social Research (Great Britain) ([2006/2007 ed.] ed.). London: SAGE. 2007. ISBN 9781849208680. OCLC 297532520.CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. BROWN, Callum G. (2004), review of Europe. The exceptional case: Parameters of faith in the modern world by Grace Davie, The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, vol. 55, no. 2, pp. 442-443.
  9. BRUCE, Steve and VOAS, David (2010), “Vicarious Religion: An Examination and Critique,” Journal of Contemporary Religion, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 243–259.
  10. "The Cadbury Lectures 2016 - University of Birmingham". www.birmingham.ac.uk. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  11. "Professor Grace Davie - Religion, law and the constitution". Religion, law and the constitution. 2017-07-13. Retrieved 2018-03-23.
  12. Robinson, Debbie. "University of Exeter". socialsciences.exeter.ac.uk. Retrieved 2018-03-15.
  13. "Presidents of the Association 1938-2016" (PDF). Association for the Sociology of Religion. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  14. "ISA - Past Boards". ISA, International Sociological Association. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  15. Chapman, Mark David; Clarke, Sathianathan; Percy, Martyn (2015-10-15). The Oxford Handbook of Anglican Studies. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199218561.
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