Abstract
Sociological analysis of religion should take into account that the secular understanding of religion is a specific worldview; it also has to consider that the boundaries between secular and religious motives are not clear-cut and that both realms are not as incompatible as differentiation theory supposes. Following among others Shmuel Eisenstadt (2000) we argue that the relation between religion and (secular) politics is characterized by manifold interdependencies and overlaps. As the boundaries between the secular and the religious are fluent, the question arises, how is sociological research tracing the social dynamics of religion in the public domains of European societies – and beyond? How is sociological research identifying empirical examples and constructing theories that help us to better understand religious pluralization, as well as relationships between the so-called religious and secular?
The contributions in this special issue address these questions in their own ways, analysing the role of religion in the organization of social life as well as in its relation to secular publics.
The contributions in this special issue address these questions in their own ways, analysing the role of religion in the organization of social life as well as in its relation to secular publics.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 520-528 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | European Societies |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 5 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 06 Nov 2017 |