MCISR Publications

This book demystifies designing and conducting qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research with scientific rigor. Social Research Methods, benefits researchers from theology and religious studies in designing interdisciplinary research and interacting with social sciences and other disciplines to study contextually relevant issues by focusing on lived religion, lived theology, lived experience, and real-world problems.

Joshua Iyadurai skillfully guides researchers with a step-by-step guide on the practical nuances of choosing a topic, engaging literature, selecting a paradigm, collecting and analyzing data, interpreting the findings, and writing a research proposal and a dissertation/thesis/article for qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research. A separate chapter on supervising and examining social research helps students and professors to understand each other’s role in field-based studies.

Social Research Methods is an indispensable resource for researchers from theology and religious studies and a valuable practical guide for researchers from social sciences and humanities.

Reasons to read this book:

● Instills confidence in researchers to design and conduct qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research.

● The first of its kind to introduce qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods strategies for theology and religious studies.

● Up to date and authoritative, as the author assembles current and leading literature across disciplines on research methods.

● Examples that provide researchers with clarity in applying the steps in researching lived religion, lived theology, and lived experiences.

● Review questions at the end of each chapter help readers recall the contents to store it in long term memory.

● Key texts are listed as ‘further help’ in each chapter leading to further learning.

● A step-by-step guide is provided to assist in writing every section of a research proposal for qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research.

● Offers know-how of research writing and writing each chapter for qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods dissertation/thesis.

● Tips for writing a professional doctorate dissertation and journal article are among other helpful resources for researchers.

● Includes guidelines for supervisors and examiners which will come handy to assist and assess student projects.

● Glossary serves as a quick reference guide.

● Students and professors from across disciplines including, social sciences, education, development studies, management, and the humanities besides theology and religious studies, will find this book an invaluable resource.

● Researchers from churches, religious bodies, NGOs, and others can use this book as a practical guide for their research projects.

● Written in a conversational style that engages readers effectively by a scholar who has been teaching research methods for more than a decade.

“This volume fills an important gap in the field by bringing social scientific methods into theology and religious studies. All parties in this conversation have much to gain from a sustained dialogue, and this book moves us in that direction.”

JOHN BARTKOWSKI, Professor – Sociology, University of Texas at San Antonio

“The highly readable, yet exhaustive and authoritative text covers all aspects of the variety of methods available to contemporary scientists who either produce or evaluate empirical research. The text is intended for students and scholars of theology and religious studies, but those interested in how religion is practiced in different cultural contexts and want to understand individual lived experiences and interpretations will find this text an invaluable guide.”

RALPH W. HOOD Jr., Professor of Psychology, University of Tennessee, co-editor of Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion series

“Compared to other approaches to theology and religious studies, missiology has the propensity to use social science methods. This clearly written introduction to complex terrain will enable students to navigate it and develop tools for their own project, and students are more likely to recognize their research interests in its examples. Especially useful features include the glossary and the section on student supervisors/mentors and examiners. This volume is authoritative and cognisant of other leading texts.”

KIRSTEEN KIM, Pierson Professor of World Christianity, Fuller Theological Seminary, co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of Mission Studies

Here is a fascinating and engaging handbook every researcher in theology and religious studies should read and assimilate. It fulfils a felt need by pooling the wealth of sociological methodologies and applying them to the scientific study of lived religion. The author has done a unique service, and his work will remain a point of reference for years.

Felix Wilfred, Founder and Director of Asian Centre for Cross Cultural Studies, Chennai, editor of The Oxford Handbook of Christianity in Asia

“This is a valuable resource written in a way that theological students will understand, and supervisors will appreciate! It takes the student “by the hand” from the formulation of the research topic through methodological positioning and choices and closes with a chapter on supervision expectations. I look forward to prescribing it to my own postgraduate students.”

NADINE BOWERS DU TOIT, Professor – Theology and Development, University of Stellenbosch, editor of Race, Faith and Inequality amongst Young Adults in South Africa

“It is very good to see the use of social science methods being developed to aid religious studies and theological research. My hope is that this very practical book, using up-to-date resources, will help to develop this important form of study further.”

ROBIN GILL, Emeritus Professor of Applied Theology, University of Kent,

author of the trilogy on Sociological Theology

“Upon launching out on research, students and scholars are always on the lookout for good books on research methodology. In Dr Iyadurai’s book, they will find an excellent manual spanning the length and breadth of what they are looking for. I strongly recommend this book to all those engaged in research” 

FRANCIS GONSALVES SJ, President, Jnana Deepa: Pontifical Athenaeum of Philosophy & Theology, author of God of Our Soil: Towards Subaltern Trinitarian Theology

“Joshua Iyadurai has been teaching research methods to PhD students in Christian Studies for over a decade. He is an expert facilitator in this hybrid field, helping both theology and religious studies students use social research methods more rigorously and effectively. This book will be immensely helpful to anyone wanting to do research in the field of religion, as well as to those in classes focused on research methods. I highly recommend it.”

ROBERT K. JOHNSTON, Professor of Theology and Culture, Fuller Theological Seminary, co-author of Deep Focus: Film and Theology in Dialogue

“Social Research Methods for Students and Scholars of Theology and Religious Studies is a masterpiece that draws from Joshua’s experience of teaching social research for two decades. The book aims to catalyze theological scholarship using social research methods with scientific precision. Scholars, educators, and graduate students will find this text a welcome resource. I highly recommend it!”

DAVID TARUS, Executive Director, Association for Christian Theological Education in Africa (ACTEA), author of A Different Way of Being

“This textbook fills an important niche for postgraduate researchers embarking on empirical research in Practical Theology or Religious Studies. Those who have little or no background in the social sciences will find this a clear and well-structured introduction on how to conceive a research project and what methods are available to answer their research questions. Reading this before they embark on their journey could save a lot of problems further down the road.” 

ANDREW VILLAGE, Professor of Practical and Empirical Theology, York St John University, author of The Church of England in the First Decade of the 21st Century

Joshua Iyadurai, PhD is the founder and director of Marina Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Religion (MCISR), Chennai. He is a theological educator and a social scientist who is passionate about teaching social research methods in hopes of bringing a paradigm shift in theological research to engage people as a source of constructing theology. His ability to generate a passion for social research among students is one hallmark of his lectures. He has been teaching research methods for more than a decade and supervising students using social research methods for their theological research in several institutions that included the University of Roehampton-online, London, University of Madras, Chennai, and South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies (SAIACS), Bangalore. He has been a resource person for research methods seminars that equip seminary students in using social research methods and workshops to equip faculty for supervising students in using social research methods for their dissertations.

He authored Transformative Religious Experience: A Phenomenological Understanding of Religious Conversion and has contributed several book chapters and articles on religious conversion.

He is available for leading research methods seminars for students and workshops for faculty to supervise and examine dissertations/theses using social research methods. He can be contacted at jiyadurai@gmail.com