Religion and Politics In A Sociological Perspective: A Comparison Between the Usa and France

Year 2013, Volume: 6 Issue: 2, 73 - 94, 30.05.2016

Özlem Ülker

Abstract

By the 20th century, the main hypothesis of secularization theories was that religion would be expulsed from public sphere, and be confined to private space and as a consequence it would become just an conscientious and individual phenomenon. But the time disproved this hypothesis. Some global level developments -such as the secularization experience of the USA, the Iranian Revolution, the effective role of religion in the experience of democratization in the Latin America, the rise of religious nationalisms opposed to secular nationalisms, the rise of Christian Right- has revealed that religion has no intention of leaving the public sphere, on the contrary its intention is to take an effective role in the construction of the public space. Thus, in my paper, I will compare religion-state-society relations in the USA and France as the most important representatives of secular state model. I believe that this comparison will give important clues for the reconstruction of religion-politics relations which is on the focus of discussions on the impartiality of the state, the borders of the religious freedom, the politicization of religion, the scope of separation of religion and state, and the problems of this separation in the implementation process.

Keywords

Religion, Secularization, State, USA, France

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