Monasticism in Modern Times

This book presents a broad sociological perspective on the contemporary issues facing Christian monasticism. Since the founding work of Max Weber, the sociology of monasticism has received little attention. However, the field is now being revitalized by some new research. Focusing on Christian monks and nuns, the contributors explore continuity and discontinuity with the past in what superficially might appear a monolithic tradition. Contributors speak not only about monasticism in Europe and the United States but also in Africa and Latin America, a different landscape where the question of recruitment does not figure among issues considered as problematic.

Isabelle Jonveaux is a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Graz, Austria. After completing her doctoral research about monastic economy in modern monasteries in Europe at Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (Paris), and at the University of Trento (Italy), she continued post-doctoral research about asceticism in Catholic monasticism. She is currently preparing her habilitation (University of Fribourg, Switzerland) about secular asceticism and aspirations to simple life. Publications: Le Monastere au travail. Paris: Bayard, 2011, and Dieu en ligne. Paris: Bayard, 2013.

Stefania Palmisano is Lecturer in the Sociology of Organization and of the Sociology of Religious Organizations at the University of Turin; Visiting Research Fellow at the Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion in Lancaster University (UK) and at the Department of Sociology in Boston University. She is currently writing a book entitled Exploring New Monastic Communities to be published by Routledge.