Digital Methodologies in the Sociology of Religion

Description

This volume considers the implementation difficulties of researching religion online and reflects on the ethical dilemmas faced by sociologists of religion when using digital research methods. Bringing together established and emerging scholars, global case studies draw on the use of social media as a method for researching religious oppression, religion and identity in virtual worlds, digital communication within religious organisations, and young people's diverse expressions of faith online. Additionally, boxed tips are provided throughout the text to serve as reminders of tools that readers may use in their own research projects. Cover page Halftitle page Series page Title page Copyright page Contents Figures Contributors Acknowledgements Introduction: Digital Methodologies in the Sociology of Religion The sociology of religion: A (very) brief discussion Digital religion or belief Reflecting on methods What about ethics? Structure of the book Chapter summaries Concluding thoughts Part 1 Digitizing Research in the Sociology of Religion 1 Methodological Challenges, Innovations and Growing Pains in Digital Religion Research Four waves of research on digital religion Conclusion 2 Surveying the Religious and Non-Religious Online Introduction Research contexts Methodologies Ethical considerations The selection of survey tools Sampling and recruitment Framing effective questions Concluding refl ections 3 Online Crowdsourcing Methods for Identifying and Studying Religious Groups as Special Populations Introduction Hidden population research in the digital age Crowdsourcing through online labour markets Methods for identifying special populations online Application to the study of US Muslims Strengths of this approach Challenges of this approach Other considerations Part 2 Social Networking Sites and Digital Ethnography 4 Facebook as Anti- social Media: Using Facebook Groups to Engage Opponents to the Building of Dudley Mosque Facebook: anti- social media Approaches to using Facebook groups Navigating ‘social disruption’ Ethics and engagement Beyond the findings Facebook groups as outlets 5 Analysing YouTube Interaction: A Discourse-centred Approach Introduction Doing research on YouTube Data collection and analytic methods Reflections 6 Online Sufism: Methodological Thoughts on Researching Esoteric Islam in an Online Context Online Sufi sm: A complicated research fi eld ‘Online Sufi sm’ – a conundrum of sorts Methodology: A first look Summary findings: Who are these online Sufis? Methodology: A detailed exploration Ethics: Blurry boundaries and new definitions Concluding thoughts and reflections 7 Studying Digital Hinduism Introduction Globalization Rational choice theory Methodology Ethics Reflections 8 Young Sikhs’ Religious Engagement Online Introduction Methodology Semi-structured interviews Online survey Summary findings Reflexivity and researcher standpoint Ethics Reflections Part 3 Digital Communication 9 Studying Apps: Research Approaches to the Digital Bible Introduction The research context Methodology Ethics Reflections 10 Videoconferencing as a Tool Facilitating Feminist Interviews with Muslim Women Who Wear the Niqab Introduction Videoconferencing: An online research method on the rise Feminist interviews and videoconferencing Practical considerations Opening the interview The importance of the interview setting in videoconference interviews Leaving the field Concluding thoughts about the use of videoconference interviews for feminist research 11 Religious Organizations on the Internet: A Model to Analyse Communication Effectiveness The internet and religious institutions The Online Communication Model ( OCM ) Application of the OCM to a religious non-profit organization Pros and Cons of the OCM The challenges of online communication for religious organizations Glossary 12 Researching Authority in Religious Organizations from a Communicative Perspective: A Connective Online–Offline Approach Researching religious authority in organizations from a communicative perspective Cultivating multilevel perspectives on religious authority Using a connective online–offl ine approach to research religious authority: An illustrative case Research challenges Part 4 Virtual Reality and Religion 13 Online Ethnographic Research: Avatars in Virtual Worlds Introduction Virtual cathedrals Data collection Social, cultural and ethical issues Demystification of religion 14 Researching Religion, Digital Games and Gamers: (E-)Merging Methodologies Introduction Religion in digital games Games analysis: Practical approaches Summary 15 The G-d in the Machine: Studying the Representation and Performance of Judaism in Video Games using Multimodal Corpus- assisted Critical Discourse Analysis Research context Background information Studying religion in games Jewish discourses in video games Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) What is a Corpus? How is a Multimodal Corpus compiled? Outline of methodology Ethical considerations within this research Reflections Glossary Afterword: Digital Methodologies in the Sociology of Religion – What next? Notes Bibliography Index