Explores the various changes that religion undergoes over time and their impact on society.
Religious pluralism: The coexistence of multiple religions in society and the resulting social, cultural, and political implications.
Secularization: The process of religious decline or lessening influence of religion in society.
Revitalization movements: Religiously motivated efforts to effect cultural change, often associated with indigenous or marginalized groups.
Globalization: How religions adapt and change in an increasingly interconnected world.
Cults, sects, and new religious movements: Alternative religious groups that may conflict with mainstream values or practices and generate controversy.
Colonialism and imperialism: How religious institutions and beliefs have been used to justify or challenge domination and oppression throughout history.
Gender and religion: Examining the ways in which religious teachings and organizations construct gender roles and reflect or challenge broader societal norms and practices.
Fundamentalism and extremism: Religious movements that emphasize strict adherence to doctrine and ideology, and may be associated with violence or conflict.
Conversion: The processes through which individuals adopt a new religious identity, including the reasons and consequences of such changes.
Comparative religion: Analyses of similarities and differences between different religions or religious traditions, often with a view to understanding broader historical or cultural dynamics.
Conversion: It involves a change in one's religious affiliation, involving a personal transformation in beliefs, values and practices.
Revival and Renewal: It represents a reawakening or revitalization of religious beliefs and practices that were in decline or lost in the past.
Secularization: The process of decline in religious beliefs, practices and institutions among individuals and societies as a whole.
Globalization: The phenomenon of cultural and religious exchange and diffusion across different regions and continents, leading to the adoption of new forms of religious expression and identities.
Fundamentalism: A reactionary response to social change, it involves the affirmation of traditional religious beliefs and practices, rejecting modernity and secularization.
Pluralism: The recognition and acceptance of multiple religious beliefs and practices, leading to engagement and dialogue among different faith communities.
New Religious Movements: Refers to the emergence of new forms of religious expression and institutional structures that challenge traditional religious authorities and practices.
Syncretism: The blending of different religious beliefs and practices to create a new religious expression or identity.