About the ISSR
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New England Church Steeple.
Photo by Jim Spickard.

Past ISSR Conference Themes

• Religion and Economy in a Global World (Aix-en-Provence, 2011)
• The Challenge of Religious Pluralism (Santiago de Compostela, 2009)
• Secularity and Religious Vitality (Leipzig, 2007)
• Challenging Boundaries: Religion and Society(Zagreb, 2005)
• Religion and Generations (Turin, 2003)
• Interpreting Religion Today (Ixtapan la Sal, Mexico, 2001)
• Journeying (Leuven,1999)
• Religion, the City, and Beyond (Toulouse, 1997)
• Religious Regulation of Nature and the Body (Quebec City, 1995)
• Religion, Culture, and Identity (Budapest, 1993)

• Click HERE to view a PDF file containing a full list of our conferences, themes, past presidents, etc.

 

Overview

The ISSR was founded in Leuven, Belgium in 1948 as the "Conférence Internationale de Sociologie Religieuse" (International Conference for Religious Sociology). After several years of meeting as a confessional organization, with members from mostly European countries, it reconstituted itself as a worldwide scientific organization devoted to understanding the relationship between religion and society.  The ISSR recently celebrated its 60th anniversary.

The Society holds bilingual (French & English) conferences every two years, to which all are welcome.  Though we do not publish our own journal, we fill one issue of  the international journal Social Compass annually with papers from our conferences.

The ISSR publishes a twice-yearly bulletin in French and English.  It also sponsors a New Researcher's Network for postgraduate students and recent PhDs, regardless of age.

Membership

Our 500+ members come from all continents of the world.  They include some of the world's leading authorities on religion as well as some of the field's newest scholars. 

Though most members are sociologists by discipline, there are an increasing number of members with backgrounds in such disciplines as anthropology, political science, and women's studies.   Similarly, though most of our members are based in universities, others work for denominational research centers and independent research institutes.

Conferences

The Society holds bilingual (French & English) conferences every two years, to which all are welcome.  Each conference highlights a major theme -- some of which are listed in the left-hand column.

Each conference also features a variety of non-thematic sessions, special events, and travel opportunities.

New Researchers Network

The ISSR sponsors a New Researchers Network, to further the development of the sociology of religion among recently trained sociologists.  The group maintains an online news-list at http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/NewResearchersNetwork/

History of the ISSR

Karel Dobbelaere, our Honorary President, former President, and former General Secretary, is writing a history of the ISSR.  He has completed two chapters, which were published in our newsletters (#37: April 2010 and #41: December 2011).  Click the links below to read them (extracted) in PDF form:

• History of the ISSR -- Part 1 (1948-1967)
• History of the ISSR -- Part 2 (1968-1973)