Publisher's Synopsis
Both history and current events attest to the continued significance of religion in society. Yet despite the role and importance of the institution of religion, and the profound influence that religious organizations continue to exert, religion occupies a curiously marginal place in organization theory. At the same time, organization theory has been criticized for its narrow focus on corporations, and there have been calls to study a much broader range of organizational forms (e.g., Bamberger and Pratt, 2010). Interestingly, the small number of studies of religious organizations that have been published have had a disproportionate impact on the field. This suggests that religious organizations deserve more attention, and that attending to them will have significant benefits for our understanding of organizations. The purpose of this volume of Research in the Sociology of Organizations is to bring together leading organizations theorists with an interest in religion. The aim is to consolidate and make available in one place existing knowledge on religion and organizations. The volume is also designed to encourage more organization theorists to include religion as part of their research activities and agenda.
