oa De ontwikkeling van de godsdienstsociologie in Nederland

In this article a review is given of the development of the sociology of religion on the basis of the areas of research. The review is preceded by a short description of the position and meaning of the discipline as such. In the beginning, research has been concentrated on the churches and the Christian religion. In the course of time the conception of religion becomes broader, with the result that the area of research becomes broader too. Parallel to the changes in religious life, the object of research has moved from religion in the traditional sense to meaning systems. The whole development of the sociology of religion can be characterized both by alteration, as well as by continuity.