Boundaries of Religious Freedom: Regulating Religion in Diverse Societies – serie

This volume brings together current research on young people, (non)religion, and diversity, documenting the forms young people’s stances may take and the social or spatial contexts in which these may be formed. The social contexts studied include the family, school, and faith communities. The spatial contexts include (sub)urban and rural geographies and places of worship and pilgrimage.Youth and (non)religion are an area of academic interest that has been gaining increasing attention, especially as it pertains to youthful expressions of (non)religion and identities. As research on religion and young people spans and expands across academic disciplines and across geographic areas, comparative approaches and perspectives, such as presented in this volume, offer important spaces for reflecting about the experience of religiosity among young people and the ways they are learning about, and developing, (non)religious identities. Building bridges geographicallyand methodologically, this volume provides an international perspective on religion and nonreligion among young people, offering a diversity of religious and nonreligious perspectives.

This volume brings together current research on young people, (non)religion, and diversity, documenting the forms young people’s stances may take and the social or spatial contexts in which these may be formed.

This volume offers a European overview of the management of religious diversity in prisons and provides readers with rich empirical material and a comparative perspective. The chapters combine both legal and sociological approaches.

This volume offers a European overview of the management of religious diversity in prisons and provides readers with rich empirical material and a comparative perspective. The chapters combine both legal and sociological approaches.

This innovative study appeals to students and researchers while offering an important contribution to the debate over the role of religion in contemporary secular Europe and its impact on women’s rights and gender equality.

This innovative study appeals to students and researchers while offering an important contribution to the debate over the role of religion in contemporary secular Europe and its impact on women’s rights and gender equality.

This collection of essays by leading scholars explores the present, dynamic state of metaphysical religion in America.

This collection of essays by leading scholars explores the present, dynamic state of metaphysical religion in America.

This volume presents results from new and ongoing research efforts into the role of nonreligion in education, politics, law and society from a variety of different countries. Featuring data from a wide range of quantitative and qualitative studies, the book exposes the relational dynamics of religion and nonreligion. Firstly, it highlights the extent to which nonreligion is defined and understood by legal and institutional actors on the basis of religions, and often replicates the organisation of society and majority religions. At the same time, it displays how essential it is to approach nonreligion on its own, by freeing oneself from the frameworks from which religion is thought.The book addresses pressing questions such as: How can nonreligion be defined, and how can the “nones” be grasped and taken into account in studies on religion? How does the sociocultural and religious backdrop of different countries affect the regulation and representation of nonreligion in law and policymaking? Where and how do nonreligious individuals and collectives fit into institutions in contemporary societies? How does nonreligion affect notions of citizenship and national belonging? Despite growing scholarly interest in the increasing number of people without religion, the role of nonreligion in legal and institutional settings is still largely unexplored.This volume helps fill the gap, and will be of interest to students, researchers, policymakers and others seeking deeper understanding of the changing role of nonreligion in modern societies.

This volume presents results from new and ongoing research efforts into the role of nonreligion in education, politics, law and society from a variety of different countries. Featuring data from a wide range of quantitative and qualitative studies, the book exposes the relational dynamics of religion and nonreligion. Firstly, it highlights the extent to which nonreligion is defined and understood by legal and institutional actors on the basis of religions, and often replicates the organisation of society and majority religions. At the same time, it displays how essential it is to approach nonreligion on its own, by freeing oneself from the frameworks from which religion is thought.The book addresses pressing questions such as: How can nonreligion be defined, and how can the “nones” be grasped and taken into account in studies on religion? How does the sociocultural and religious backdrop of different countries affect the regulation and representation of nonreligion in law and policymaking? Where and how do nonreligious individuals and collectives fit into institutions in contemporary societies? How does nonreligion affect notions of citizenship and national belonging? Despite growing scholarly interest in the increasing number of people without religion, the role of nonreligion in legal and institutional settings is still largely unexplored.This volume helps fill the gap, and will be of interest to students, researchers, policymakers and others seeking deeper understanding of the changing role of nonreligion in modern societies.

The increasing visibility of Islam in France and the vehemence of debates about it have often contributed to narrow public perceptions of secularism to a simplistic antireligious crusade, a misleading image disseminated by the media and politicians alike.

The increasing visibility of Islam in France and the vehemence of debates about it have often contributed to narrow public perceptions of  secularism to a simplistic antireligious crusade, a misleading image disseminated by the media and politicians alike. Taking the opposite stand, this book embarks on a comprehensive effort to document the multiple areas in which French secularism plays out - in debates over “cults,” places of worship, chaplaincy services in public institutions, the recognition of associations of worship, and more -, outlining and analizing the legal paths favored by the state in the regulation of religious diversity.  While Islam has undoubtedly contributed to the reshaping of French secularism in the last decades, the book moves beyond what has come to be known as the "Muslim Question" to look at the multiplicity of challenges contemporary religious beliefs, practices, and organizations now pose to the state. David Koussens examines the main political and legal configurations of French secularism over the last thirty years through a sociological and juridical lens, in order to better document its diversity. Such a portrait emphasizes that French secularism is not a univocal phenomenon but one that appears in many guises.

This edited collection focuses on the comparative analysis of the application of Shari’a in countries with Muslim minorities (e.g.

This edited collection focuses on the comparative analysis of the application of Shari’a in countries with Muslim minorities (e.g.

This book, a revised version of Lundgren’s PhD thesis, offers a deepened understanding of the changes in the governance of religious diversity and the complex relationship between state and religion.

This book, a revised version of Lundgren’s PhD thesis, offers a deepened understanding of the changes in the governance of religious diversity and the complex relationship between state and religion.

This edited volume proffers a sociological outlook on the challenges contemporary societies face when states attempt to govern religious and cultural diversity and still protect freedoms of and from religion claimed by individuals, communities, and institutions.

This book offers a multidisciplinary exploration of one of the defining characteristics of post-secular societies: religious diversity. Drawing from the sociology of religion, the sociology of migration, and related fields, it critically examines the interaction between religion, diversity, and secular governance, challenging conventional approaches to managing pluralism in contemporary contexts.Organized into three sections, the book explores:Theoretical and Conceptual Foundations: Establishing core frameworks for understanding post-secularization, pluralistic societies, and the intricate dynamics between religion and diversity.Regulating Religion in Postsecular and Diverse Societies: Analyzing policy innovation, comparative case studies, and practical challenges in managing religious diversity within secular governance structures.Navigating the Future: Prospects and Challenges of Diversity Governance in Post-Secular Contexts: Addressing emerging trends such as digital transformations, the politicization of religious identities, and the evolving role of religious traditions in fostering inclusivity and resilience.Featuring contributions from leading scholars and emerging researchers, this volume provides a multidimensional perspective on debates spanning sociology, anthropology, law, and public policy. Through socio-historical examples and case studies, it examines pressing topics such as religious pluralism in secular governance, diversity management strategies, and the transformative impact of digital technologies on religious expression.At its core, the book is framed by two key concepts: post-secularization and diversity. It reexamines religion’s evolving role in secularized societies, taking religious plurality—not the disappearance of religion—as a starting point for exploring secularity. This work is an essential resource for students, researchers, educators, policymakers, and professionals seeking actionable insights into critical debates on religion, migration, diversity, and secular governance in today’s globalized and digitalized world.

Free Enough to Grow provides an absorbing analysis of the multifaceted mission that gave rise to the Turkish Protestant movement. Delving into four central factors—religious freedom, missionary activity, religious choice, and plausibility structures—that have shaped the movement’s development, author James Bultema draws upon an array of qualitative interviews, historical research, and thematic analysis to decipher the movement’s first 55 years. Bultema explores the complex interplay of these factors, using hermeneutics and abductive reasoning to tease out his argument that imperfect but sufficient religious freedom created a fertile foundation for the growth of countercultural, vulnerable Turkish Protestant churches. In doing so, Bultema contributes an intriguing case study on the complicated give-and-take of Christian mission and religious freedom in a Muslim-majority context, an original framework of interrelating conceptual constructs, and an impressive mission history of the Turkish Protestant movement. Students of Turkey and mission and scholars of religious studies, missiology, and modern Christianity, be sure to engage with a rewarding reading of Free Enough to Grow: The Turkish Protestant Movement, 1961-2016.

Lived Experiences of Religious Freedom presents the results of a wide-ranging study on how religious and non-religious belief organisations in the United Kingdom address the challenges they face in relation to freedom of religion or belief (FoRB). Drawing on interviews with representatives of belief organisations and public engagement bodies, the book offers an empirically grounded theory that explains how these organisations engage with and seek to influence the legal and societal frameworks that shape the lived experience of FoRB. Positioned at the intersection of sociology, law, and human rights scholarship, the study identifies the shared concerns of belief organisations and examines how they navigate the gap between legal provisions and everyday realities. Alongside its theoretical contribution, the book presents participants’ accounts of the challenges they encounter, together with their suggestions for policymakers. Lived Experiences of Religious Freedom will be of particular interest to scholars of religion, law, and human rights, as well as to public authorities and legislators, advocates, and representatives of belief organisations interested in evidence-based perspectives on how FoRB is lived and negotiated in contemporary Britain.

The essays in this book not only examine the variety of atheist expression and experience in the Western context, they also explore how local, national and international settings may contribute to the shaping of atheist identities.

This book takes a sober, evidenced-based look at the contemporary phenomenon of Islamophobia in both ‘old-world’ Europe, and the ‘new-world’ of America and Australia, and Southeast Asia. It includes theoretical and conceptual discussions about what Islamophobia is, how it manifests, and how it can be addressed, together with historical analysis, applied research and case-study chapters, considering the reality that manifests as a fear of Muslims.Anxiety about the world’s second largest religion manifests as prejudice, discrimination and vilification and, in extreme cases, violence and murder. The real and perceived problems of the relationship between Islam and the West contribute to the phenomenon of Islamophobia.This is a unique, multi-disciplinary work, with authors approaching the topic from a number of academic disciplines and from different religious and national backgrounds, providing for a greater appreciation of the complexity and diversity of Islamophobia. This multicultural and multi-religious approach undergirds the valuable insights the volume provides.This book will be of interest to all concerned with the phenomenon of Islamophobia, and especially researchers and students in the social sciences, as well as scholars with a specific interest in Muslims living as minorities in the West. Also, those working in political science, international relations, sociology, religious studies and other fields will all find it of value.

This book examines Religious Education (RE) in over ten countries, including Australia, Indonesia, Mali, Russia, UK, Ireland, USA, and Canada. Some seek to avoid the ambiguous term ‘religious education’, replacing it with terms such as ‘education about religions and beliefs’ or ‘the religious dimension of intercultural education’.

This edited volume offers a collection of papers that present a comparative analysis of the development of Shari’a in countries with Muslim minorities, such as America, Australia, Germany, and Italy, as well as countries with Muslim majorities, such as Malaysia, Bangladesh, Turkey, and Tunisia.The Sociology of Shari’a provides a global analysis of these important legal transformations and analyzesthe topic from a sociological perspective. It explores examples of non-Western countries that have a Muslim minority in their populations, including South Africa, China, Singapore, and the Philippines.In addition, the third part of the book includes case studies that explore some ground-breaking theories on the sociology of Shari’a, such as the application of Black, Chambliss, and Eisenstein’s sociological perspectives.

The essays in this book not only examine the variety of atheist expression and experience in the Western context, they also explore how local, national and international settings may contribute to the shaping of atheist identities.

Instead of abandoning the subject of secularization, Niels Reeh’s Secularization Revisited demonstrates how the collapse of formerly dominant secularization theories indicates fundamental conceptual challenges within sociology.

It provides vital insight into the ways in which politics regulates the religious sphere, as well as how religion modulates and intervenes in politics in Latin America.

This book approaches newly emerging religious groups through the interplay between religious and non-religious spheres in the specific context of Vietnam.

This book takes a sober, evidenced-based look at the contemporary phenomenon of Islamophobia in both ‘old-world’ Europe, and the ‘new-world’ of America and Australia, and Southeast Asia.