Orthodoxy as Project

• In Event: 262 - Section on Sociology of Religion Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 08. Measuring and Defining Religion

Abstract

Contemporary uses of "orthodoxy" in the sociology of religion often assume that the term designates a stable set of practices or beliefs—even as this definition conflicts with sociological paradigms of culture. Cultural theorists have importantly demonstrated that a community's practices, beliefs, and identities are not stable, but are constructed to enable social actors to make contrasts between themselves and others. In this paper, I draw on archival and field research in a conservative Protestant denomination in order to demonstrate how the orthodox imagine themselves within a temporal frame, which then motivates them to engage in practices in order to “maintain” orthodoxy. These actors position themselves within a frame wherein they: 1.) assert a temporal trajectory; 2.) develop strategies for obstruction; and 3.) coordinate in-group interactions. I draw on recent cultural sociological theory about the relationship between temporality and action in order to develop a theory of orthodoxy which explores how lay theories of temporality shape the practices in which given communities engage.

Author

• Sorcha Alexandrina Brophy, Yale University