First Published in 1987. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

This textbook brings together the perspectives of a group of sociologists and social historians to understand the shaping of British society. The premise of the book is that these two approaches are complementary and mutually enriching. To understand how society operates it is necessary to explore not only its constituent structures and relationships, but also how these structures emerge and why changes occur within them. The book critically appraises the usefulness of current theories in advancing our understanding of contemporary society, and explores British society as dynamic and developing. In the process the authors appreciate and draw our attention to the fact that society is shaped not just by social policy and structures, but by how far these shape people's life-patterns, attitudes, experience and conduct.

Understanding Post-War British Society brings together the perspectives of leading sociologists and social historians, to understand the shaping of British society. A comprehensive and illuminating account of post-war British History.

The contributors, influenced by scoiology and anthropology, have abandoned the confines and conventions of ecclesistical history to discuss the relationship between the religion of the people and that of the clergy and elite. In introducing the volume, Obelkevich discusses the concept of popular religion and the methodology used to examine it. Contributors are Patrick J. Geary, Lionel Rothkrug, Carlo Ginsberg, Philip Benedict, Phyllis Mack Crew, Robert Muchembled, and H. C. Eric Midelfort.
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