Secularism and secularization

Abstract

Since ‘secularization’ refers to the process whereby religion declines and even dies, it may seem strange to include a chapter on this topic in a book that is primarily concerned with religions in the modern world. However, the theme is important for a number of reasons. First, the topic of secularization has, rightly or wrongly, dominated the sociological study of religion since its inception in the nineteenth century. And as such, it has influenced the way in which many Western scholars still approach – or ignore – religion. Second, as will be clear to anyone who reads even a few chapters in this book, religion changes very significantly in the modern period, and for some types of religion – such as many historic churches in Europe – this change takes the form of decline. And third, secularism is a powerful force in the modern world, a force that sets itself in opposition to religion and that has become increasingly militant. The religious and the secular help to construct one another. Fourth, the study of nonreligious identities is emerging as a field in its own right within the social scientific study of religion. For these reasons, if we wish to appreciate religion in the modern world, it is important to pay some attention to the distinct, but interlinked topics of secularization, secularism, and the secular.