Subject History

Social Sciences of Religion and PracticalTtheology combine research approaches, theories and methods from the sociology of religion, psychology of religion, practical theology and didactics of religion.

Sociology of religion

Sociology of religion was initiated as a research subject in Sweden in 1975 through a joint professorship at the theological faculties in Lund and Uppsala. In 1988, Thorleif Pettersson became the first professor at the theological faculty in Uppsala, followed by Anders Bäckström in 2008 and Mia Lövheim in August 2011. Historically, research in the sociology of religion has focused on Christian churches and communities. In Uppsala, research has taken on a broader focus since 2000 as a result of the changing relationship between the state and the Church of Sweden, increased religious and cultural diversity, and processes of globalisation and mediatisation in late modern societies. Research in this field between 2000 and 2020, which has actively contributed to international research, has mainly been conducted in three areas: Media, religious and cultural change, with a focus on how religion is portrayed in the daily press and digital media; Religion in civil society and politics, with a focus on the role of religious organisations in social and political change; and Religion in young people's everyday lives: values and learning, with a focus on changes in young people's values and religiosity, particularly in relation to family and school.

Psychology of religion

In 1967, the first professorship in psychology of religion was established in Uppsala, and thus also in the Nordic region, with Hjalmar Sundén as its holder. He advocated an empirical approach to psychology of religion, which has been reinforced and taken on an increasingly clear form. The subject came to focus on mapping religious experience among individuals and groups in society, based on psychological theories and a combination of behavioural science methods. Through Professors Owe Wikström, followed by Valerie DeMarinis and today Önver Cetrez, together with senior researchers and doctoral students, the subject has developed research themes such as ritualisation and meaning-making, refugees, migration and acculturation in relation to health and identity development, as well as crisis, existential meaning, coping and mental public health. The context and populations for this research have varied from families and communities to migrants and school pupils. Research in psychology of religion is conducted in multidisciplinary collaborations with psychiatry, medical anthropology, public health science and law.

Practical theology

Practical theology at the Faculty of Theology has its roots in the training of priests in the 19th century. Gradually, the subject developed into a theoretically based discipline, while practical training was gradually taken over by the church. During Åke Andrén's time as professor (1954-1983), practical theology was mainly a historical science, divided into different sub-areas corresponding to different forms of ecclesiastical expression. During his time as professor (1993-2016), Sven-Erik Brodd anchored the subject in a dogmatic understanding of the church, and the subject was renamed Church Studies. Gradually, the study was expanded to include different Christian denominations and also theological expressions outside Christian community life. There is a similarity here with the empirical research into worldviews that emerged within systematic theology from the 1990s onwards and which is now also being integrated into the new subject orientation. The shift towards qualitative empirical methods, which was strengthened during Professor Ninna Edgardh's time as subject representative (2017-2021), ties in with a growing international interest in the study of theology as expressed in everyday practices.

Didactics of Religion

Didactics of religion is a new research subject at the department. However, research in religious education has previously been conducted as part of Social sciences of religion, where religious pedagogy has been part of psychology of religion. Since the 2010s, research in religious education has grown steadily at the department. The areas studied include "Challenges and didactic strategies for religious education teachers", "Intercultural religious education" and "Bridging the gap between didactic theory and concrete classroom practice".