Unity, Division and the Religious Mainstream in Sweden, 1st ed. 2020 Palgrave Studies in Lived Religion and Societal Challenges Series

This book presents new conceptual and methodological approaches to studying religiosity in Europe. From her unique background of working with the Church of Sweden statistics and official statistics on the increasing religious diversity in Sweden, Willander illustrates how previous and current methods of analysing religiosity overlook substantial aspects in patterns of affiliation, belief and practice. 

Unity, Division and the Religious Mainstream in Sweden draws on the sociological imagination in the sociology of religion to offer a new and empirically-driven analytical framework that shifts the focus to religious change in general, and will contribute greatly to ongoing discussions about majority forms of religiosity and their social relevance in contemporary times. It will be of use to students and scholars with a focus on the sociology of religion, as well as sociology, political science, epistemology and media studies.

Deconstructs assumptions that generally underpin the studying religion at an individual level

Presents a new analytical framework for theorizing religiosity, and links it to the approach of “lived religion”

Highlights how the proposed analytical framework can be used in practice