Steve Bruce was born in Edinburgh and educated at the Queen Victoria School, Dunblane. He studied sociology and religious studies at the University of Stirling. He taught at The Queen’s University, Belfast, from 1978 to 1991 when he became Professor of Sociology at the University of Aberdeen. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Whilst the author’s arguments on sectarianism should be familiar to any well-informed reader, the originality of this book lies in melding such material with the breadth of the historical perspective and the range of topics. This gives a very original mix, from sectarianism to shamanism, from the Auld Licht Anti-Burghers to Findhorn’s fairies . . . this book represents ‘the latest word’ in the critical study of religion in Scotland.

• Preface; Acknowledgements; List of Tables; 1. The Cast List; 2. Three Islands Compared; 3. Scots Catholic Growth; 4. The Irony of Catholic Success; 5. Scotland Orange and Protestant; 6. The Post-War Kirk; 7. Serious Religion in a Secular Culture; 8. From Community to Association: the New Churches; 9. Tibetans in a Shooting Lodge; 10. The English on the Moray Riviera; 11. Scots Muslims; 12. Sex and Politics; Statistical Appendix.

Steve Bruce was born in Edinburgh and educated at the Queen Victoria School, Dunblane. He studied sociology and religious studies at the University of Stirling. He taught at The Queen’s University, Belfast, from 1978 to 1991 when he became Professor of Sociology at the University of Aberdeen. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Whilst the author’s arguments on sectarianism should be familiar to any well-informed reader, the originality of this book lies in melding such material with the breadth of the historical perspective and the range of topics. This gives a very original mix, from sectarianism to shamanism, from the Auld Licht Anti-Burghers to Findhorn’s fairies . . . this book represents ‘the latest word’ in the critical study of religion in Scotland.

• Preface; Acknowledgements; List of Tables; 1. The Cast List; 2. Three Islands Compared; 3. Scots Catholic Growth; 4. The Irony of Catholic Success; 5. Scotland Orange and Protestant; 6. The Post-War Kirk; 7. Serious Religion in a Secular Culture; 8. From Community to Association: the New Churches; 9. Tibetans in a Shooting Lodge; 10. The English on the Moray Riviera; 11. Scots Muslims; 12. Sex and Politics; Statistical Appendix.

Steve Bruce was born in Edinburgh and educated at the Queen Victoria School, Dunblane. He studied sociology and religious studies at the University of Stirling. He taught at The Queen’s University, Belfast, from 1978 to 1991 when he became Professor of Sociology at the University of Aberdeen. He is a Fellow of the British Academy and the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Whilst the author’s arguments on sectarianism should be familiar to any well-informed reader, the originality of this book lies in melding such material with the breadth of the historical perspective and the range of topics. This gives a very original mix, from sectarianism to shamanism, from the Auld Licht Anti-Burghers to Findhorn’s fairies . . . this book represents ‘the latest word’ in the critical study of religion in Scotland.

• Preface; Acknowledgements; List of Tables; 1. The Cast List; 2. Three Islands Compared; 3. Scots Catholic Growth; 4. The Irony of Catholic Success; 5. Scotland Orange and Protestant; 6. The Post-War Kirk; 7. Serious Religion in a Secular Culture; 8. From Community to Association: the New Churches; 9. Tibetans in a Shooting Lodge; 10. The English on the Moray Riviera; 11. Scots Muslims; 12. Sex and Politics; Statistical Appendix.