When political science needs the sociology of religion. Analysing Orthodox Jews’ voting behaviour in France
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Abstract
This article highlights the methodological necessity of integrating concepts from the sociology of religion into political science research on religion and citizenship. Specifically, it demonstrates how political science can benefit from analytical tools developed in the sociology of religion to better capture the ways religious identities shape political behaviour and interactions with public institutions. Drawing on research on Orthodox Jews in France, I propose an approach that incorporates concepts such as integralism and enclave to systematically analyse the conditions under which religious affiliations influence voting behaviour. This methodological framework addresses existing gaps in political science by providing a more nuanced understanding of how religious commitments structure political engagement and institutional relationships, based on the case of Orthodox Jews in France. This article is grounded in my experience during a political science investigation (2017–2022) on the public regulation of religion in France. It strives to make a more general point: the sociology of religion helps to explain how religion may lead to completely opposite political behaviours or to similar political behaviours that are nevertheless grounded in different motives. In a nutshell, it helps us to understand how religion is constructed as a politically relevant factor.
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Politics: Democratic Politics, Elections and Voting Politics: Jewish Political Engagement Sociology Main Topic: Other Denominations: Orthodox Methodology
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Link to article (paywalled), When political science needs the sociology of religion. Analysing Orthodox Jews’ voting behaviour in France
Bibliographic Information
When political science needs the sociology of religion. Analysing Orthodox Jews’ voting behaviour in France. 2026: https://archive.jpr.org.uk/10.1080/09637494.2026.2685117
