Steve Bruce Bücher

With over 1000 entries on key concepts and theorists, The SAGE Dictionary of Sociology provides full coverage of the field, clarifying the technical use of apparently common words, explaining the fundamentals concepts, and introducing new and unfamiliar terms. A humorous, enjoyable read, this book provides authoritative, reliable definitions; accessible ‘digests’ of key arguments; contemporary, and appealing illustrations of points.

Steve Bruce explores Scotland's transformation from the devout Presbyterian country of 1900, to the diverse society of today, with less than 10 per cent of Scots attending church. He bases his study on historical, ethnographic and statistical research, to provide both a coherent description of Scotland's current religious complexion.

Secularization remains one of the most hotly debated topics in the study of religion in modern societies. Steve Bruce elaborates the sociological secularization paradigm and defends it against a wide variety of recent attempts at rebuttal and refutation.

This indispensable reference tool offers a practicing social scientist's guide to researching social causes, components, and consequences of religion in the modern world.

The book explores the Ulster Loyalists' perspective on the Northern Ireland Troubles, highlighting their growing alienation. Steve Bruce presents the conflict as an entrenched ethnic struggle, emphasizing that understanding the loyalist identity is essential for any hope of achieving lasting peace. Through this lens, the author offers critical insights into the complexities of loyalty and identity in a region marked by division.

British Gods is a comprehensive survey of the state of religious faith in contemporary Britain, analysing how the status and nature of the different religions has changed since the 1950s and 1960s. Considering the challenges religion faces today from secular and social tensions, it offers a prognosis for the future of religion in Britain.

Since the start of the "Troubles" in Northern Ireland", working class Protestants have used violence and terror to "defend Ulster from traitorous republicans". Despite being responsible for about half the civilian casualties of the present conflict and despite having subverted major political initiatives, the loyalist paramilitary organizations - The Ulster Defence Association, the Ulster Volunteer Force, the Red Hand Commando and others - have been relatively neglected by scholars. This study, based on extensive interviewing of loyalist terrorists, is a comprehensive survey of a group that is central to the Ulster conflict. "The Red Hand" recounts the history of loyalist terorism, analyzes the motives that inform it, examines the political innovations of the terrorists, critically explores claims of security force collusion with loyalist terror, and concludes by arguing that what appear to be unconnected aspects of loyalist paramilitarism can be understood as having common origins in the problems of trying to use terror to defend, rather than to destroy, the state. The primary importance of the book is in filling a large gap in our understanding of the Northern Ireland conflict; its secondary purpose is to extend our understanding of the relationship between terrorism and the modern state.

In this defence of the secularization paradigm, Bruce elaborates just what Weber, Durkheim, Berger and Wilson thought was happening to religion in the West, and responds to critics of this concept. Topics covered include new age spirituality, and the influence of Eastern religions.

Exploring the 450-year struggle between religion and modernization, this book examines the evolution of Western religion from the 16th century to the present-day "New Age" movements. It presents a lively and accessible narrative that details significant transformations in religious thought and practice over the centuries. Additionally, it offers insights into the future trajectory of religion in the modern world, supported by informative tables.