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Entre religion et sécularisme

Un atelier est proposé pour le prochain colloque de European Consortium for Political Research: Regulating Private and Public: Between Religion and Secularism, Bordeaux, 5 – 7 septembre 2013. Pour y participer, envoyer le titre et un court résumé (3-4 lignes) à Guy Ben-Porat gbp[at]som(point)bgu(point)ac(point)il.

Panels in this proposed section will examine, theoretically and comparatively: the role of religion in public and private lives, regulation of religion by states, and religious-secular struggles over rights and obligations. The modern state has taken control from religious institutions not only the regulation of education and welfare but also services like marriage and burial. Secularization has implied a new division of labour between political and religious authorities, where the modern state has official authority while religion continues to provide moral guidance for individuals and, in some cases, legitimacy for the political system. Consequently, in many modern and seemingly secular states religion has different roles in private and public lives and different divisions of labor between religious institutions and the state exist.

Differing arrangements face different challenges, either by traditional, or religious, proponents that reclaim the definition of the common good, or by those that find the common good too close to religion. Specifically, some religious actors believe that modern, western individualism is contrary to the common good, while some secular actors believe that individual choice must be expanded. Consequently, questions like the recognition of gay marriage, abortion, polygamy and religious slaughter of animals are often politically salient as some states contend with conflicting demands of groups unsatisfied with existing rules and groups fighting against change. In many democracies, therefore, previous agreements are being re-negotiated between religious and secular actors. 

This proposed section of panels seeks to engage with both regulation of and competition in private and public life involving both religious and secular authorities. The specific questions we wish to examine include: How do various societies, in Europe and elsewhere, deal with these new and unexpected demands? To what extent is it possible for either the state or religious authorities to regulate private and public lives? In this regard, which models of accommodation have been either successful or unsuccessful?

Croyances et athéisme dans le monde

A partir de résultats de l’enquête 2008 de l’ISSV, Tom W. Smith (NORC/Université de Chicago) publie un commentaire autour de la question des croyances en Dieu, avec une prise en compte de l’évolution entre 1991 et 2008: Beliefs”about”God”across”Time”and”Countries. On trouve également sur ce sujet un article dans Religioscope.

Les pays avec un taux élevé d’athéisme avec un fort taux d’adhésion, sont les anciens pays socialistes et les pays du nord de l’Europe. Inversement, les pays au fort taux d’adhésion aux croyances sont les pays à majorité catholique, notamment les pays en voie de développement, ainsi que les Etats-Unis, Chypre et Israël. Bien que les changements soient de faible ampleur, on observe cependant une diminution constante de la croyance en Dieu, sauf dans certains pays. Les schémas n’étant pas constants ni homogènes, il est difficile de poser des prévisions.

Sécularisation radicale?

Un appel à contribution est lancé pour un colloque international sur les théories contemporaines de la sécularisation, Radical Secularization?, Anvers (Belgique), 20-22 septembre 2012. Les propositions sont acceptées jusqu’au 1er mai 2012.

International conference on contemporary philosophical secularization theory. Authors discussed include Blumenberg, Assmann, Nancy, Taylor, Gauchet, Habermas.

Keynote speakers: Jean-Claude Monod (CNRS, Paris), Laurens ten Kate (Universiteit voor Humanistiek, Utrecht, Holland), André Cloots (K.U. Leuven, Louvain, Belgium), Guido Vanheeswijck (University of Antwerp), John Milbank (University of Nottingham, UK), Jonathan VanAntwerpen (director SSRC, New York, USA).