Notions of magic in Rodney Stark and William Sims Bainbridge’s Theory of Religion

Abstract

Set within Rational Choice Theory, A Theory of Religion, by sociologists Rodney Stark and William Sims Bainbridge, represents a significant theoretical effort in the contemporary sociology of religion. It may also be a good analytical option for understanding general aspects of magic, since, throughout A Theory of Religion, Stark and Bainbridge provide extensive formulations on the subject, making possible - with the proper systematization - a set of statements with a certain autonomy. Thus, this paper seeks to systematize and conduct a critical analysis of Stark and Bainbridge’s notions of magic in A Theory of Religion. It is hoped that this systematization work will facilitate the understanding and eventual use of these notions by academic researchers of magic, a research area with few works of purely theoretical scope since the second half of the twentieth century.