R Braunstein
Biographic Data
| ID | 12670 |
|---|---|
| NAME | R Braunstein |
| GIVEN NAMES | R |
| FAMILY NAME | Braunstein |
| SIGNATURE | BRAUNSTEIN R |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Connecticut |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9080-4234 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 24 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 303 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 24 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2012 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 9 |
Religion and the Restructuring of American Politics
Over the past decade, White evangelicals in the United States have largely aligned themselves with Donald Trump's Make America Great Again, or MAGA, movement and the Christian nationalist ideas it promotes. But an active network of White evangelical leaders are resisting the influence of Christian nationalism in their churches and in American politics. What divides these evangelicals is not whether they are conservative or liberal, respectively, …
Religion Unbundled: Toward a Twenty-First-Century Paradigm for the Sociology of American Religion
Much recent sociological work on religion in the United States is written outside the field’s two established paradigms: secularization theory and the 1990s “religious economy” approach. Drawing together strands of recent theoretical innovation and contemporary religious developments that challenge the existing paradigms, we introduce elements of a twenty-first-century paradigm for the sociology of American religion. We argue that the shape-shift…
Not paying unto Caesar: Christian nationalism, politics, race, and opposition to taxation
Americans' views on taxation exercise a powerful influence on political outcomes. Yet these views cannot be solely attributed to partisanship or even racial or economic self-interest. Recent work on the cultural sociology of taxation stresses that Americans' views on taxes are shaped by their understanding of proper social order. Integrating these insights with burgeoning work on Christian nationalism (representing an idealized ethno-cultural soc…
Toward a cultural sociology of taxation
This article advances calls for a cultural sociology of taxation by arguing that Zelizer's theory of how monetary exchanges perform 'relational work' can be applied to taxpaying. Based on a review of research on taxpaying in the USA, I show this approach offers insight into a disparate set of puzzles about taxation including: why the USA continues to require income tax returns; why anti-tax sentiment persists even at low tax rates; why anti-gover…
Untangling the Ties That Bind
Religion, Politics, and Public Funding for Abortion
An abundance of research examines Americans' attitudes toward abortion legality and morality with particular attention to polarization around this issue and the influence of social movements, religious organizations, the media, and political leaders. There is a relative dearth, however, of research focusing on attitudes toward the public funding of abortion services. Using three national, random samples of American adults, we address this gap in …
Historical Fundamentalism? Christian Nationalism and Ignorance About Religion in American Political History
Religious right leaders often promulgate views of Christianity's historical preeminence, privilege, and persecution in the United States that are factually incorrect, suggesting credulity, ignorance, or perhaps, a form of ideologically motivated ignorance on the part of their audience. This study examines whether Christian nationalism predicts explicit misconceptions regarding religion in American political history and explores theories about the…
A Theory of Political Backlash: Assessing the Religious Right's Effects on the Religious Field
A growing body of evidence suggests that the rise in religious disaffiliation can be partly attributed to a political backlash against the Religious Right. Yet the concept of 'political backlash' remains undertheorized, limiting our ability to evaluate how backlash against the Religious Right has impacted the religious field as a whole. This article develops a general account of how political backlash against a radical actor can impact participan…
The "Right" History: Religion, Race, and Nostalgic Stories of Christian America
A wide range of right-wing movements are bound together by their adherence to a nostalgic vision of the United States as a "Christian nation," yet there are meaningful differences in the specific narratives promoted by these groups that are not fully understood. This article identifies two ideal-typical versions of this narrative: the white Christian nation and the colorblind Judeo-Christian nation. The two narratives share a common declension st…
The Politics of Petulance: America in an Age of Immaturity
Religion in the Age of Social Distancing: How Covid-19 Presents New Directions for Research
In this brief note written during a global pandemic, we consider some of the important ways this historical moment is altering the religious landscape, aiming our investigative lens at how religious institutions, congregations, and individuals are affected by the social changes produced by COVID-19. This unprecedented time prompts scholars of religion to reflect on how to strategically approach the study of religion in the time of 'social distanc…
Religion, Humility, and Democracy in a Divided America
Growing God's Family: The Global Orphan Care Movement and the Limits of Evangelical Activism
The Mindful Elite: Mobilizing from the Inside Out
Religion and progressive politics in the United States
In recent decades, scholars interested in the role of religion in American public life have largely focused on the Christian Right or the role of religion in civic life. Compared to these extensive literatures, relatively little attention has been paid to the role of religion in liberal/progressive politics. Progressive religious voices are more widespread and more racially, socioeconomically, and religiously diverse than is typically recognized.…
A (More) Perfect Union? Religion, Politics, and Competing Stories of America
Donald Trump’s calls to “Make America great again” loosely unified a Republican coalition divided over policy, priorities, and style. In contrast, Democrats in 2016 were divided between two stories about America. Progressives today seek a new narrative that can unite their ideologically and socially diverse coalition while also providing a compelling alternative to Trump’s account of national decline. This article argues that one such narrative a…
Boundary-work and the demarcation of civil from uncivil protest in the United States: Control, Legitimacy, and Political Inequality
Muslims as outsiders, enemies, and others: The 2016 presidential election and the politics of religious exclusion
Prophets and Patriots: Faith in Democracy across the Political Divide
"In the wake of the Great Recession, Americans across the political divide flocked to local citizens organizations, where they worked to refocus political attention on the needs of ordinary people like them. This book chronicles the efforts of two such groups--a progressive faith-based community organizing coalition and a conservative Tea Party group. At first glance, these groups could not seem more different: in addition to significant demograp…
Is the Tea Party a 'Religious' Movement? Religiosity in the Tea Party versus the Religious Right
Since the Tea Party Movement (TPM) emerged, observers have drawn parallels between this movement and the Religious Right (RR). This article deepens our understanding of this relationship by providing a detailed analysis of religiosity in the TPM versus the RR. We find that compared to the RR, the TPM mobilized a religiously heterogeneous membership. Although roughly half of TPM members were also members of the RR, the other half of this movement …
The Tea Party Goes to Washington: Mass Demonstrations as Performative and Interactional Processes
Encounters at the Religious Edge: Variation in Religious Expression Across Interfaith Advocacy and Social Movement Settings
In a time of increasing religious diversity, interfaith political coalitions have become important settings for interreligious interaction, but little research has explored the types of religious expression that are generated therein. Prevailing theories in the sociology of religion indicate that interaction with religious others results in dilution of traditional religious commitments or production of stronger boundaries. But emerging perspectiv…
The Role of Bridging Cultural Practices in Racially and Socioeconomically Diverse Civic Organizations
Organizations can benefit from being internally diverse, but they may also face significant challenges arising from such diversity. Potential benefits include increased organizational innovation, legitimacy, and strategic capacity; challenges include threats to organizational stability, efficacy, and survival. In this article, we analyze the dynamics of internal diversity within a field of politically oriented civic organizations. We find that "b…
Storytelling in Liberal Religious Advocacy
Previous research suggests liberal religious advocates often find it necessary to use broadly accessible technical or moral language to communicate with policymakers and public audiences, yet this conformity to secular speech norms diminishes the distinctiveness of their religious voices. Communicating through storytelling offers them one way of overcoming this dilemma. This is demonstrated by examining liberal religious advocacy during recent he…
Religion in the Age of Social Distancing: How Covid-19 Presents New Directions for Research
In this brief note written during a global pandemic, we consider some of the important ways this historical moment is altering the religious landscape, aiming our investigative lens at how religious institutions, congregations, and individuals are affected by the social changes produced by COVID-19. This unprecedented time prompts scholars of religion to reflect on how to strategically approach the study of religion in the time of 'social distanc…
The Role of Bridging Cultural Practices in Racially and Socioeconomically Diverse Civic Organizations
Organizations can benefit from being internally diverse, but they may also face significant challenges arising from such diversity. Potential benefits include increased organizational innovation, legitimacy, and strategic capacity; challenges include threats to organizational stability, efficacy, and survival. In this article, we analyze the dynamics of internal diversity within a field of politically oriented civic organizations. We find that "b…
Is the Tea Party a 'Religious' Movement? Religiosity in the Tea Party versus the Religious Right
Since the Tea Party Movement (TPM) emerged, observers have drawn parallels between this movement and the Religious Right (RR). This article deepens our understanding of this relationship by providing a detailed analysis of religiosity in the TPM versus the RR. We find that compared to the RR, the TPM mobilized a religiously heterogeneous membership. Although roughly half of TPM members were also members of the RR, the other half of this movement …
A Theory of Political Backlash: Assessing the Religious Right's Effects on the Religious Field
A growing body of evidence suggests that the rise in religious disaffiliation can be partly attributed to a political backlash against the Religious Right. Yet the concept of 'political backlash' remains undertheorized, limiting our ability to evaluate how backlash against the Religious Right has impacted the religious field as a whole. This article develops a general account of how political backlash against a radical actor can impact participan…
The "Right" History: Religion, Race, and Nostalgic Stories of Christian America
A wide range of right-wing movements are bound together by their adherence to a nostalgic vision of the United States as a "Christian nation," yet there are meaningful differences in the specific narratives promoted by these groups that are not fully understood. This article identifies two ideal-typical versions of this narrative: the white Christian nation and the colorblind Judeo-Christian nation. The two narratives share a common declension st…
Muslims as outsiders, enemies, and others: The 2016 presidential election and the politics of religious exclusion
The Tea Party Goes to Washington: Mass Demonstrations as Performative and Interactional Processes
Storytelling in Liberal Religious Advocacy
Previous research suggests liberal religious advocates often find it necessary to use broadly accessible technical or moral language to communicate with policymakers and public audiences, yet this conformity to secular speech norms diminishes the distinctiveness of their religious voices. Communicating through storytelling offers them one way of overcoming this dilemma. This is demonstrated by examining liberal religious advocacy during recent he…
A (More) Perfect Union? Religion, Politics, and Competing Stories of America
Donald Trump’s calls to “Make America great again” loosely unified a Republican coalition divided over policy, priorities, and style. In contrast, Democrats in 2016 were divided between two stories about America. Progressives today seek a new narrative that can unite their ideologically and socially diverse coalition while also providing a compelling alternative to Trump’s account of national decline. This article argues that one such narrative a…
Boundary-work and the demarcation of civil from uncivil protest in the United States: Control, Legitimacy, and Political Inequality
Historical Fundamentalism? Christian Nationalism and Ignorance About Religion in American Political History
Religious right leaders often promulgate views of Christianity's historical preeminence, privilege, and persecution in the United States that are factually incorrect, suggesting credulity, ignorance, or perhaps, a form of ideologically motivated ignorance on the part of their audience. This study examines whether Christian nationalism predicts explicit misconceptions regarding religion in American political history and explores theories about the…
Religion, Politics, and Public Funding for Abortion
An abundance of research examines Americans' attitudes toward abortion legality and morality with particular attention to polarization around this issue and the influence of social movements, religious organizations, the media, and political leaders. There is a relative dearth, however, of research focusing on attitudes toward the public funding of abortion services. Using three national, random samples of American adults, we address this gap in …
Not paying unto Caesar: Christian nationalism, politics, race, and opposition to taxation
Americans' views on taxation exercise a powerful influence on political outcomes. Yet these views cannot be solely attributed to partisanship or even racial or economic self-interest. Recent work on the cultural sociology of taxation stresses that Americans' views on taxes are shaped by their understanding of proper social order. Integrating these insights with burgeoning work on Christian nationalism (representing an idealized ethno-cultural soc…
Toward a cultural sociology of taxation
This article advances calls for a cultural sociology of taxation by arguing that Zelizer's theory of how monetary exchanges perform 'relational work' can be applied to taxpaying. Based on a review of research on taxpaying in the USA, I show this approach offers insight into a disparate set of puzzles about taxation including: why the USA continues to require income tax returns; why anti-tax sentiment persists even at low tax rates; why anti-gover…
Encounters at the Religious Edge: Variation in Religious Expression Across Interfaith Advocacy and Social Movement Settings
In a time of increasing religious diversity, interfaith political coalitions have become important settings for interreligious interaction, but little research has explored the types of religious expression that are generated therein. Prevailing theories in the sociology of religion indicate that interaction with religious others results in dilution of traditional religious commitments or production of stronger boundaries. But emerging perspectiv…
Religion and progressive politics in the United States
In recent decades, scholars interested in the role of religion in American public life have largely focused on the Christian Right or the role of religion in civic life. Compared to these extensive literatures, relatively little attention has been paid to the role of religion in liberal/progressive politics. Progressive religious voices are more widespread and more racially, socioeconomically, and religiously diverse than is typically recognized.…
Storytelling in Liberal Religious Advocacy
Previous research suggests liberal religious advocates often find it necessary to use broadly accessible technical or moral language to communicate with policymakers and public audiences, yet this conformity to secular speech norms diminishes the distinctiveness of their religious voices. Communicating through storytelling offers them one way of overcoming this dilemma. This is demonstrated by examining liberal religious advocacy during recent he…
Encounters at the Religious Edge: Variation in Religious Expression Across Interfaith Advocacy and Social Movement Settings
In a time of increasing religious diversity, interfaith political coalitions have become important settings for interreligious interaction, but little research has explored the types of religious expression that are generated therein. Prevailing theories in the sociology of religion indicate that interaction with religious others results in dilution of traditional religious commitments or production of stronger boundaries. But emerging perspectiv…
The Role of Bridging Cultural Practices in Racially and Socioeconomically Diverse Civic Organizations
Organizations can benefit from being internally diverse, but they may also face significant challenges arising from such diversity. Potential benefits include increased organizational innovation, legitimacy, and strategic capacity; challenges include threats to organizational stability, efficacy, and survival. In this article, we analyze the dynamics of internal diversity within a field of politically oriented civic organizations. We find that "b…
The Tea Party Goes to Washington: Mass Demonstrations as Performative and Interactional Processes
Muslims as outsiders, enemies, and others: The 2016 presidential election and the politics of religious exclusion
Prophets and Patriots: Faith in Democracy across the Political Divide
"In the wake of the Great Recession, Americans across the political divide flocked to local citizens organizations, where they worked to refocus political attention on the needs of ordinary people like them. This book chronicles the efforts of two such groups--a progressive faith-based community organizing coalition and a conservative Tea Party group. At first glance, these groups could not seem more different: in addition to significant demograp…
Is the Tea Party a 'Religious' Movement? Religiosity in the Tea Party versus the Religious Right
Since the Tea Party Movement (TPM) emerged, observers have drawn parallels between this movement and the Religious Right (RR). This article deepens our understanding of this relationship by providing a detailed analysis of religiosity in the TPM versus the RR. We find that compared to the RR, the TPM mobilized a religiously heterogeneous membership. Although roughly half of TPM members were also members of the RR, the other half of this movement …
Religion and progressive politics in the United States
In recent decades, scholars interested in the role of religion in American public life have largely focused on the Christian Right or the role of religion in civic life. Compared to these extensive literatures, relatively little attention has been paid to the role of religion in liberal/progressive politics. Progressive religious voices are more widespread and more racially, socioeconomically, and religiously diverse than is typically recognized.…
A (More) Perfect Union? Religion, Politics, and Competing Stories of America
Donald Trump’s calls to “Make America great again” loosely unified a Republican coalition divided over policy, priorities, and style. In contrast, Democrats in 2016 were divided between two stories about America. Progressives today seek a new narrative that can unite their ideologically and socially diverse coalition while also providing a compelling alternative to Trump’s account of national decline. This article argues that one such narrative a…
Boundary-work and the demarcation of civil from uncivil protest in the United States: Control, Legitimacy, and Political Inequality
Religion, Humility, and Democracy in a Divided America
Growing God's Family: The Global Orphan Care Movement and the Limits of Evangelical Activism
The Mindful Elite: Mobilizing from the Inside Out
The Politics of Petulance: America in an Age of Immaturity
Religion in the Age of Social Distancing: How Covid-19 Presents New Directions for Research
In this brief note written during a global pandemic, we consider some of the important ways this historical moment is altering the religious landscape, aiming our investigative lens at how religious institutions, congregations, and individuals are affected by the social changes produced by COVID-19. This unprecedented time prompts scholars of religion to reflect on how to strategically approach the study of religion in the time of 'social distanc…
The "Right" History: Religion, Race, and Nostalgic Stories of Christian America
A wide range of right-wing movements are bound together by their adherence to a nostalgic vision of the United States as a "Christian nation," yet there are meaningful differences in the specific narratives promoted by these groups that are not fully understood. This article identifies two ideal-typical versions of this narrative: the white Christian nation and the colorblind Judeo-Christian nation. The two narratives share a common declension st…
Religion, Politics, and Public Funding for Abortion
An abundance of research examines Americans' attitudes toward abortion legality and morality with particular attention to polarization around this issue and the influence of social movements, religious organizations, the media, and political leaders. There is a relative dearth, however, of research focusing on attitudes toward the public funding of abortion services. Using three national, random samples of American adults, we address this gap in …
Historical Fundamentalism? Christian Nationalism and Ignorance About Religion in American Political History
Religious right leaders often promulgate views of Christianity's historical preeminence, privilege, and persecution in the United States that are factually incorrect, suggesting credulity, ignorance, or perhaps, a form of ideologically motivated ignorance on the part of their audience. This study examines whether Christian nationalism predicts explicit misconceptions regarding religion in American political history and explores theories about the…
A Theory of Political Backlash: Assessing the Religious Right's Effects on the Religious Field
A growing body of evidence suggests that the rise in religious disaffiliation can be partly attributed to a political backlash against the Religious Right. Yet the concept of 'political backlash' remains undertheorized, limiting our ability to evaluate how backlash against the Religious Right has impacted the religious field as a whole. This article develops a general account of how political backlash against a radical actor can impact participan…
Untangling the Ties That Bind
Toward a cultural sociology of taxation
This article advances calls for a cultural sociology of taxation by arguing that Zelizer's theory of how monetary exchanges perform 'relational work' can be applied to taxpaying. Based on a review of research on taxpaying in the USA, I show this approach offers insight into a disparate set of puzzles about taxation including: why the USA continues to require income tax returns; why anti-tax sentiment persists even at low tax rates; why anti-gover…
Not paying unto Caesar: Christian nationalism, politics, race, and opposition to taxation
Americans' views on taxation exercise a powerful influence on political outcomes. Yet these views cannot be solely attributed to partisanship or even racial or economic self-interest. Recent work on the cultural sociology of taxation stresses that Americans' views on taxes are shaped by their understanding of proper social order. Integrating these insights with burgeoning work on Christian nationalism (representing an idealized ethno-cultural soc…
Religion and the Restructuring of American Politics
Over the past decade, White evangelicals in the United States have largely aligned themselves with Donald Trump's Make America Great Again, or MAGA, movement and the Christian nationalist ideas it promotes. But an active network of White evangelical leaders are resisting the influence of Christian nationalism in their churches and in American politics. What divides these evangelicals is not whether they are conservative or liberal, respectively, …
Religion Unbundled: Toward a Twenty-First-Century Paradigm for the Sociology of American Religion
Much recent sociological work on religion in the United States is written outside the field’s two established paradigms: secularization theory and the 1990s “religious economy” approach. Drawing together strands of recent theoretical innovation and contemporary religious developments that challenge the existing paradigms, we introduce elements of a twenty-first-century paradigm for the sociology of American religion. We argue that the shape-shift…
Political science (21 works) · Politics (21 works) · Sociology (21 works) · Law (20 works) · Religion and Society Interactions (16 works) · Gender Studies (11 works) · Religion, Society, and Development (9 works) · Law (8 works) · Social science (8 works) · American Constitutional Law and Politics (7 works)