My topic selection of demography and religion originates from my fear of living in Korea, a country with the lowest fertility rate that might become extinct sometime in the future. Out of anxiety and fear, I started a personal project of researching and collecting data relevant to demography to do something about it. I also felt the need to apply and use my knowledge to contribute to resolving the issue as an aspiring researcher. I approached the problem mainly through a socio-economic lens, focusing on factors such as female education, workforce, change in the economic system, and more. However, something was missing.
During my sociology class, I noticed a striking similarity between my concerns and those of the renowned sociologist Emile Durkheim. Amidst the whirlwind of the Industrial Revolution and rapid societal transformations, he asked the crucial question: Can social solidarity withstand the test of time without withering away? He then examined religion scientifically as an institution capable of reflecting and fostering moral solidarity instead of following the mainstream approach of fixating on quantitative data.
The declining birth rate in Korea might be a stark indicator of weakening social bonds, highlighting the urgency of our times. Then, what can we do about it? My approach is to delve into research and theory. While it may seem passive, bell hooks, a renowned theorist, educator, and activist, argues that this intellectual pursuit is a form of liberatory action. She found solace and healing in theorizing, using it to make sense of her experiences and overcome childhood trauma: “I came to theory because I was hurting.”
Like Durkheim and hooks, my attempt at theorizing stems from personal pain. I seek to understand the phenomenon better to alleviate my pain and bridge the gap between theory and practice. As I investigated global demographic shifts, I noticed a striking pattern. The fertility rate has declined in many Western countries while experiencing exponential growth in Sub-Saharan African nations. Concurrently, there are observable shifts in religious population structures, with projections indicating an increase in the Muslim population and a decrease in the Christian population. This intriguing correlation has sparked my curiosity about the potential link between religion and demography.
In exploring such a relationship, I plan to borrow the sociological lens of Durkheim. I want to continue his efforts to investigate and combat social struggle through sociological research by adopting his theory in a modern context. While he acknowledges the influence of religion on reinforcing social unity and family structure, he does not explicitly connect religion and the fertility rate. Therefore, my research seeks to substantiate this connection by exploring how religion influences global demographic structure. While examining the causal relationship between the two variables, I am also open to the possibility of them being dependent variables – functioning as indicators of a different phenomenon.
The research stems from my concern about the future of my own country in the face of declining birth rates. Like Durkheim and hooks, I intend to delve deeper into global demographic shifts and their connections to religiosity, using pain as a driving force.
Author: Jungyeon Lee