Publication details
Twenty Years After: Secularization and Desecularization in Central and Eastern Europe
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2010 |
| Type | Conference |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | It is well known that, despite its popularity, the theory of secularization (also referred to as the secularization thesis) has become a target for much criticism over the past forty years. Notwithstanding the fact that for many scientists empirical data for at least Western European societies continue to fuel the secularization theory (even in its more sophisticated versions). For many others the theory is an ideological doctrine, or even a myth, or just a theory that distracts our attention from other important developments, such as “the spiritual revolution”, the capacity of religion to be effectively used by different actors and different reasons, the continuing public relevance of religion, and the relationship between religion and identity. What can we say about religiosity in Central and Eastern European countries twenty years after the collapse of communism? Which, if either, of the concepts ‘secularization’ or ‘descularization’ is the more appropriate? The religious situation in this region can contribute to the old debate about the secularization thesis, and might even cast a new light on both empirical and theoretical discussions that could be relevant for the study of religions in these and other contemporary societies. |