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.

Table of Contents:
Contributors Introduction: Craig Calhoun, Mark Juergensmeyer, Jonathan VanAntwerpen 1. Western Secularity: Charles Taylor 2. The Secular, Secularizations, Secularisms: José Casanova 3. Secularism, Citizenship, and the Public Sphere: Craig Calhoun 4. Rehabilitating Secularism: Rajeev Bhargava 5. The Multiple Secularisms of Modern Democracies and Autocracies: Alfred C. Stepan 6. Civilizational States, Secularisms, Religions: Peter Katzenstein 7. A Suspension of (Dis)Belief: The Secular-Religious Binary and the Study of International Relations: Elizabeth Shakman Hurd 8. Rethinking the Secular and Religious Aspects of Violence: Mark Juergensmeyer 9. Religious Humanitarianism and the Global Politics of Secularism: Cecelia Lynch 10. Rethinking Fundamentalism in a Secular Age: R. Scott Appleby 11. Secularism, Religious Change, and Social Conflict in Asia: Richard Madsen 12. Smash temples, Burn Books: Comparing Secularist Projects in India and China: Peter van der Veer 13. Freedom of Speech and Religious Limitations: Talal Asad

About the Author :
Craig Calhoun is President of the Social Science Research Council, University Professor of the Social Sciences at New York University, and Founding Director of NYU's Institute for Public Knowledge. Mark Juergensmeyer is Director of the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies, Professor of Sociology, and Affiliate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Jonathan VanAntwerpen is Program Officer & Research Fellow at the Social Science Research Council.

Review :
"This volume marks the conclusion of a massive four-year academic research project devoted to the analysis of the realities represented by the terms 'secular,' 'secularism,' and 'secularization.'...This conversation, I believe, remains one of the main tasks confronting those who write on secularism today."--Anglican Theological Review "Rethinking Secularism is not only a fascinating book for students and scholars, but also for everyone who wants to broaden one's horizons...volumes such as Rethinking Secularism may move us closer to a better understanding of our globalized world."--Religion