Rethinking Secularism

This collection of essays presents groundbreaking work from an interdisciplinary group of leading theorists and scholars representing the fields of history, philosophy, political science, sociology, and anthropology. The volume will introduce readers to some of the most compelling new conceptual and theoretical understandings of secularism and the secular, while also examining socio-political trends involving the relationship between the religious and the secular from a variety of locations across the globe.In recent decades, the public has become increasingly aware of the important role religious commitments play in the cultural, social, and political dynamics of domestic and world affairs. This so called ''resurgence'' of religion in the public sphere has elicited a wide array of responses, including vehement opposition to the very idea that religious reasons should ever have a right to expression in public political debate. The current global landscape forces scholars to reconsider not only once predominant understandings of secularization, but also the definition and implications of secular assumptions and secularist positions. The notion that there is no singular secularism, but rather a range of multiple secularisms, is one of many emerging efforts to reconceptualize the meanings of religion and the secular.Rethinking Secularism surveys these efforts and helps to reframe discussions of religion in the social sciences by drawing attention to the central issue of how ''the secular'' is constituted and understood. It provides valuable insight into how new understandings of secularism and religion shape analytic perspectives in the social sciences, politics, and international affairs.

ContributorsIntroduction: Craig Calhoun, Mark Juergensmeyer, Jonathan VanAntwerpen1. Western Secularity: Charles Taylor2. The Secular, Secularizations, Secularisms: Jos? Casanova3. Secularism, Citizenship, and the Public Sphere: Craig Calhoun4. Rehabilitating Secularism: Rajeev Bhargava5. The Multiple Secularisms of Modern Democracies and Autocracies: Alfred C. Stepan6. Civilizational States, Secularisms, Religions: Peter Katzenstein7. A Suspension of (Dis)Belief: The Secular-Religious Binary and the Study of International Relations: Elizabeth Shakman Hurd8. Rethinking the Secular and Religious Aspects of Violence: Mark Juergensmeyer9. Religious Humanitarianism and the Global Politics of Secularism: Cecelia Lynch10. Rethinking Fundamentalism in a Secular Age: R. Scott Appleby11. Secularism, Religious Change, and Social Conflict in Asia: Richard Madsen12. Smash temples, Burn Books: Comparing Secularist Projects in India and China: Peter van der Veer13. Freedom of Speech and Religious Limitations: Talal Asad