How do you study religion and society? In this fascinating book, some of the most famous names in the field explain how they go about their everyday work of studying religions in the field. They explain how the ideas for their projects and books have come together, how their understanding of religion has changed over the years, and how their own beliefs have affected their work. They also comment on the changing nature of the field, the ideas which they regard as most important, and those which have not stood the test of time. Lastly they offer advice to young scholars, and suggest what needs to be done to enable the field to grow and develop further.

1. Introduction: On Sociological Self-Reflection Titus Hjelm and Phil Zuckerman 2. A Life in Religious Communities Nancy Ammerman 3. Stranger in a Strange Land William Sims Bainbridge 4. Doing Sociology: Confessions of a Professional Stranger Eileen Barker 5. Constructing Religion: Serendipity and Skepticism James A. Beckford 6. Straddling Boundaries: Disciplines, Theories, Methods, and Continents Peter Beyer 7. Work and Adventure: From Poetry to Sociology of Religion Irena Borowik 8. Unintended Consequences Biographical and Sociological Steve Bruce 9. Serendipity in the Study of Religion and Society Mark Chaves 10. Thinking Sociologically about Religion: Discerning and Explaining Pattern Grace Davie 11. Hurdling Over Borders: Reflections On My Intellectual Trajectory Karel Dobbelaere 12. Counting and Accounting for Worldviews: Doing Surveys and Social Research on Four Continents Barry Kosmin 13. My Specific Form of Disorientation Robert Orsi 14. Engaged Faith-My Own and of Those I Study Wade Clark Roof 15. Studying Protestantism in a Catholic and Secular Context: Lessons for a Comparative Sociology of Religion Jean-Paul Willaime 16. Side Roads and Detours: A Narrative Reconstruction about Studying Religion Robert Wuthnow