- Lisbon (Portugal)
Jorge Botelho Moniz
FCSH, Universidade Nova de Lisboa (Portugal), Political Sciences, Department Member
- Jorge Botelho Moniz has a PhD in Political Science, specialization in Political Theory and Analysis, a Master's degre... moreJorge Botelho Moniz has a PhD in Political Science, specialization in Political Theory and Analysis, a Master's degree in Law, in the field of Philosophy of law, and a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and International Relations by the NOVA University of Lisbon. He was a fellow in the Postgraduate Program in Political Sociology of the UFSC - Federal University of Santa Catarina (Brazil), sponsored by the Erasmus Mundus Action 2 Programme of the European Union (2014-2016) and by the FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology (2016-2019). In 2014 he was visiting lecturer in Sciences Po Paris - University of Poitiers. He is a national correspondent for the scientific network EUREL (EUrope - RELigion) and a member of the Board of Directors of the CITER - Research Center for Theology and Religion Studies.edit
The fast globalization of the second half of the 20th century and the advent of new demographic and migratory trends have awaken social sciences to the growing complexity of regional cultural dynamics. Social scientists... more
The fast globalization of the second half of the 20th century and the advent of new demographic and migratory trends have awaken social sciences to the growing complexity of regional cultural dynamics. Social scientists have begun to associate cultural diversity with modernity, predicting it as an inescapable and perennial condition of modern societies that has effects on and that is affected by religious phenomena. However, few systematic and in-depth empirical researches have been made to assess these assertions. Thus, our paper puts forward the formulation of a diversity index (independent variable) based on four dimensions -linguistic, ethnic, religious, and birthplace -that is correlated with a (dependent) variable of individual religiosity. We conclude that, for the set of European countries and for the time period under analysis (1999-2014), the theory of cultural diversity that states that more diversity only causes the displacement and recomposition of religiosity has no empirical validity.
Research Interests:
Classical secularization theories had suffered strong criticism throughout recent decades. A myriad of conceptual and theoretical alternatives emerged, but social scientists still have difficulty answering a fundamental... more
Classical secularization theories had suffered strong criticism throughout recent decades. A myriad of conceptual and theoretical alternatives emerged, but social scientists still have difficulty answering a fundamental question in the secularization debate: which process of modernity (if any) better describes the current mutations or displacements of religion in today's societies? This research seeks to answer two fundamental arguments: the idea that we have reached a deadlock in the secularization debate,and that we need new theoretical and empirical approaches to understand the effects of modernity’s processes on religion. In order to do this and inspired by the assumptions of one of the most prominent and systematized theories of secularization –functional differentiation–we propose the creation of an index of functional differentiation that correlateswith a measure of individual religiosity. On the one hand, we will use qualitative research, examining the theoretical propositions of functional differentiation and its internal dimensions; on the other hand, we will resort to quantitative research, computing, through some sources such as the Eurostat, the OECD, and the ARDA-RAS, its dimensions and creating a model of functional differentiation. We conclude that, for the set of selected European countries and for the time period considered (1999-2015), the secularization theory, which asserts that more functionally differentiatedsocieties are less religious, has no empirical validity.
Research Interests:
This research seeks to answer two fundamental arguments: the idea that we have reached a deadlock in the secularization debate, and that we need new theoretical and empirical approaches to understand the effects of modernity’s processes... more
This research seeks to answer two fundamental arguments: the idea that we have reached a deadlock in the secularization debate, and that we need new theoretical and empirical approaches to understand the effects of modernity’s processes on religion. In order to do this and inspired by the assumptions of one of the most current, prominent and systematized theories of secularization – existential security – we propose the creation of an index of existential security that can be correlated with a measure of individual religiosity. We conclude that, for the set of selected European countries and for the time period considered (1999-2015), the secularization theory, which asserts that more existentially secure societies are less religious, still has empirical validity.
Research Interests:
The fast globalization of the second half of the 20th century and the advent of new demographic and migratory trends have awakened the social sciences to the growing complexity of regional cultural dynamics. Social scientists have begun... more
The fast globalization of the second half of the 20th century and the advent of new demographic and migratory trends have awakened the social sciences to the growing complexity of regional cultural dynamics. Social scientists have begun to associate cultural diversity with modernity, predicting it as an inescapable and perennial condition of modern societies that affects, and is affected by, religious phenomena. However, few systematic, in-depth empirical researches have been made to assess these assertions. Thus, our paper puts forward the formulation of a diversity index (independent variable) based on four dimensions - linguistic, ethnic, religious, and place of birth - that is correlated with a (dependent) variable of individual religiosity. We conclude that, for the set of European countries and for the time period under analysis (1999-2014), theories of cultural diversity that link diversity to the displacement and recomposition of religiosity have no empirical validity.
Research Interests:
This paper analyzes the conditions of (dis)belief in contemporary Europe within a context of strong and growing cultural diversity. We examine the (theoretical and empirical) state of the art regarding the results of previous studies on... more
This paper analyzes the conditions of (dis)belief in contemporary Europe within a context of strong and growing cultural diversity. We examine the (theoretical and empirical) state of the art regarding the results of previous studies on the binomial religion-diversity. We observe that diversity is usually negatively associated with religious cohesion and vitality. The fragmenting and relativizing effects of diversity and the growth of an implicit or explicit secular culture are usually referred to as the primary sources for the weakening of religious ties, especially traditional/institutional ones. However, most researchers have resisted affirming this negative correlation, speaking only of displacement and recomposition of religion in diversity conditions. We conclude that this assertion has validity; nevertheless, it becomes hard to deny that diversity has secularizing, although limited, effects on religion, chiefly because of the emergence and hegemony of an immanent paradigm of interpreting the world.
Research Interests:
As formas de estudar o lugar da religião nas sociedades têm mudado muito ao longo tempo. Estas mudanças estão normalmente associadas a algum fenômeno social, económico ou político que convoca os cientistas sociais para alterar o rumo das... more
As formas de estudar o lugar da religião nas sociedades têm mudado muito ao longo tempo. Estas mudanças estão normalmente associadas a algum fenômeno social, económico ou político que convoca os cientistas sociais para alterar o rumo das suas investigações: do fim da religião ao seu regresso ou à sua compreensão nas diferentes modernidades, até ao nosso momento atual. Na primeira década e meia do século XXI começam a surgir indícios de que estamos a viver uma nova fase. As migrações internacionais e, por consequência, o transnacionalismo cultural sugerem a construção de um quadro social gradualmente mais diverso e com impactos em muitos aspectos da vida cultural das sociedades modernas. Neste artigo, sugerimos o reconhecimento de novas grades analíticas – como a diversidade cultural – no estudo do religioso, mas também a construção de um índice de diversidade capaz de ser correlacionável com outras dimensões de religiosidade. Consideramos que este é um dos poucos métodos disponíveis para compreender as atuais mutações ou deslocações do religioso nas sociedades contemporâneas.
Research Interests:
This paper aims to study the causes of the growth of non-religious people in Portugal, focusing mainly in the first decade and a half of the 21st-century. In order to understand this phenomenon, we turn to the theories of secularization... more
This paper aims to study the causes of the growth of non-religious people in Portugal, focusing mainly in the first decade and a half of the 21st-century. In order to understand this phenomenon, we turn to the theories of secularization and secularity, since they give us, within this specific regional context, relevant theoretical and empirical tools to analyze the object of our study. Within secularization, we investigate the development of the processes of rationalization, societalization and existential security that have been taking place in the country. In regard to secularity, we examine the development and legal, political and social implementation of a set of (secular) guiding ideas, such as morality polices, which help to create a singular culture of secularity in the country. We conclude that there is a correlation between the growth of non-religious people and the development of a specific and hegemonic secular culture.
Research Interests:
This paper aims to study the different dimensions and the diverse shapes of contemporary secularism. Through a descriptive analysis, which has multiple secularisms’ perspective and context sensitive analysis as its theoretical framework,... more
This paper aims to study the different dimensions and the diverse shapes of contemporary secularism. Through a descriptive analysis, which has multiple secularisms’ perspective and context sensitive analysis as its theoretical framework, we examine the relations between the Portuguese state and the churches and religious communities in the post1974 period. By examining its democratic pattern of state-religion relations, namely through the analysis of the established mechanisms of financial support, we try to understand in which of the current models of secularism Portugal fits in. The fact that this is a contested case study, where we find a model of separation with cooperation between state and religion and, consequently, a spirit of dialogue, negotiation and of enduring (re)definitions of public and symbolic space of both of them, with special emphasis on one religious organization, will help us comprehend how ambiguous and pliable the boundaries of modern secularism can be.
Research Interests:
The primary purpose of this paper is to analyze the (political or legal) mechanisms for the regulation of cultural diversity, especially religious diversity, by European states. This research is conducted in light of the development and... more
The primary purpose of this paper is to analyze the (political or legal) mechanisms for the regulation of cultural diversity, especially religious diversity, by European states. This research is conducted in light of the development and growth of the global phenomenon of migration and its consequences, especially in Europe. Due to its evolution and the challenges that it often poses to the organization of contemporary societies, states increasingly have the need to regulate the activity of churches and religious communities for the sake of the balance/pacification of religious diversity. This regulation is usually based on secular principles and solutions that nonetheless recognize, accommodate, and promote activities of particular churches or religious communities. However, as in the examples of national legislation or political practices - such as morality policies - there is a certain hegemony of these secular values which have consequences for religion.
Research Interests:
The approaches to studying the place of religion in societies have changed over time. These changes are usually associated with some social, economic or political phenomenon that calls on social scientists to change the course of their... more
The approaches to studying the place of religion in societies have changed over time. These changes are usually associated with some social, economic or political phenomenon that calls on social scientists to change the course of their researches: from the end of religion to its return or to its understanding in different modernities. In the first decade and a half of the 21st-century, signs that we are undergoing a new phase are evident. International migration and, consequently, cultural transnationalism suggest the construction of an increasingly more diverse social frame with consequences on many aspects of modern societies’ cultural life. In this study, we propose the identification of new analytical grids - such as cultural diversity - in the study of religion, but also the development of an index of diversity to establish correlations with other dimensions of religiosity. We believe this is one of the few available methods to understand the current transformations or displacements of religion in contemporary societies.
Research Interests:
This paper seeks to answer two fundamental arguments: the idea that we have reached a deadlock in the secularization debate, and that we need new theoretical and empirical approaches to understand the effects of the processes of modernity... more
This paper seeks to answer two fundamental arguments: the idea that we have reached a deadlock in the secularization debate, and that we need new theoretical and empirical approaches to understand the effects of the processes of modernity on religion. In order to do this and inspired by the assumptions of one of the most prominent classical theories of secularization – rationalization – we propose the creation of an index of rationalization that can be correlated with a measure of individual religiosity. We conclude that, for the set of selected European countries and for the time period considered (1999-2014), the secularization theory, which asserts that more rationalized societies are less religious, has empirical validity.
Research Interests:
With this paper, we intend to understand what theoretical and empirical strategies allow us to measure the centrality and intensity of traditional religious meanings, as well as its more plural and diffuse modern expressions, in the... more
With this paper, we intend to understand what theoretical and empirical strategies allow us to measure the centrality and intensity of traditional religious meanings, as well as its more plural and diffuse modern expressions, in the individuals' life, in the first decade and a half of the twenty-first century. For that purpose, we offer a conceptualization and measurement model of religion – an index of religiosity – that we consider being effective and adequate to describe and measure its manifold contemporary expressions and dimensions. In order to build our index, we drew on some of the existing patterns of measurement, namely Huber & Huber’s work, and on three specific statistical databases: the European Values Survey (1999-2008), the European Social Survey (2002-2014), and the World Christian Database (2015). To go beyond the theoretical constructs and the standardization of a religiosity index, we analyze and measure religion in a specific group of European countries and we compare the various levels of religiosity among them.
Research Interests:
This paper looks at the origins and the developments of the sociological understanding of the binominal modernity-religion. Given the theoretical fragility of classical conceptions on modernization’s processes, the social sciences have... more
This paper looks at the origins and the developments of the sociological understanding of the binominal modernity-religion. Given the theoretical fragility of classical conceptions on modernization’s processes, the social sciences have produced the paradigm of multiple modernities. Its greater consideration of context and its ability to accommodate the religious phenomenon aroused a new interest in secularization studies. Hypotheses on multiple secularizations have been unveiled. However, its support was inconsequential at both the theoretical and the empirical level. Thus, we propose a methodology that captures with greater flexibility and precision the modern dynamics of the binominal. We use medium-range analytical categories, seeking to balance extension (of case studies) and intention (of each cases’ proprieties), but emphasizing the latter. Hence we propose a contextual analysis of secularization.
Research Interests:
Este estudo examina os padrões de financiamento público e privado e os processos administrativos adjacentes de um grupo de países europeus de maioria católica, no qual vigora um modelo de relação Estado-religiões específico: separação com... more
Este estudo examina os padrões de financiamento público e privado e os processos administrativos adjacentes de um grupo de países europeus de maioria católica, no qual vigora um modelo de relação Estado-religiões específico: separação com cooperação, hierarquização de igrejas e liberdade religiosa. Por meio da análise do nosso objeto de estudo, o financiamento das instituições religiosas, criar-se-á um diálogo mais abrangente sobre o secularismo. Assim sendo, é proposto um exame dos marcos legais e da evolução dos instrumentos de alocação de verbas – contrapartidas financeiras, benefícios fiscais diretos e indiretos ou consignações fiscais – que os Estados e os contribuintes oferecem ou podem oferecer às igrejas e confissões religiosas. A metodologia utilizada para comparar Áustria, Eslováquia, Espanha, Itália, Polônia e Portugal ajudar-nos-á a refletir sobre os desafios e tendências da relação Estado-religiões nas sociedades europeias hodiernas.
Research Interests:
The concept of secularization has a deeply contested connotation, in particular, since its appropriation by social sciences. This concept still causes disruption in academic work since its scientific operability is still highly disputed.... more
The concept of secularization has a deeply contested connotation, in particular, since its appropriation by social sciences. This concept still causes disruption in academic work since its scientific operability is still highly disputed. With this article, we offer an analytical systematization that helps on its operability. In order to do it, we propose a synchronic and dense study of its origins in 1960’s social sciences, and through the comparative matrix, we analyze the following development of its five internal layers. We conclude that the understanding of its sociological emergence is inseparable from the development of its layers and that any research in this field benefits from a similar type of systematization.
Research Interests:
Our study addresses the different dimensions and the diverse shapes of contemporary secularism. We place our theoretical framework in Alfred Stepan’s multiple secularisms perspective and in Rajeev Bhargava’s context sensitive analysis of... more
Our study addresses the different dimensions and the diverse shapes of contemporary secularism. We place our theoretical framework in Alfred Stepan’s multiple secularisms perspective and in Rajeev Bhargava’s context sensitive analysis of different political, social and religious environments. In order to do it, we circumscribe our research to the relations between the Portuguese state and the churches and religious communities in the post-1974 period. By examining its democratic pattern of state-church relations, namely through the analysis of the established mechanisms of financial support, we try to understand in which of the current models of secularism Portugal fits in. The fact that this is a contested case study, where we find a model of separation with cooperation between state and church and, consequently, a spirit of dialogue, negotiation and of enduring (re)definitions of public and symbolic space of both of them, with special emphasis on one church, will help us to comprehend how ambiguous and pliable the boundaries of modern secularism can be.
Research Interests:
Theories of secularization have predominated in academic discussions on the place of religion in modern societies since the late 1940’s. Advocating an inexorable tension between modernization phenomena and religious development,... more
Theories of secularization have predominated in academic discussions on the place of religion in modern societies since the late 1940’s. Advocating an inexorable tension between modernization phenomena and religious development, secularization predicts a decline of religion’s social significance. However, with the development of new religious movements and of individualized forms of religiosity or spirituality, the assumptions of secularization begin to be criticed, especially in the late decades of the 20th century and in the early 21st century. This critic would give rise to one of its main and most challenging theorical alternatives – the individualization of religious beliefs – which proposes the idea that, even with the advance of modernization, individual religiosity mantains a stable significance and may even have positive developments. This study is precisely focused in the analysis of this alternative and of its basic principles. It proposes, thus, a descriptive and an analytical study of the main subtheories of individualization. In particular, the thesis of privatization and invisible religion, believing without belonging and vicarious religion, reflexive spirituality and the brake in the collective chain of memory. By examining and comparing them it is possible to understand the organization of modern religious psyche and of its implications in terms of religious attitudes, behaviors and values on a personal level.
Research Interests:
This study analyses the models of public and private funding and the adjacent administrative processes in practice in six European countries of Catholic majority, where a specific type of secularism prevails: separation with cooperation,... more
This study analyses the models of public and private funding and the adjacent administrative processes in practice in six European countries of Catholic majority, where a specific type of secularism prevails: separation with cooperation, churches and religious denominations’ hierarchy, through special laws, and religious freedom. By examining the object of our study, the funding of religious institutions, we will be able to create a more comprehensive dialogue on secularism. To that end, we propose an examination of the funding mechanisms – financial compensations, direct or indirect tax advantages or tax assignation – that the States and taxpayers offer or can offer to churches and religious denominations. The use of the comparative method, between Austria, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain, will make us think over the new challenges and trends placed in front of European contemporary societies in the field of public funding.
Research Interests:
The main focus of our research is the analysis and interpretation of the conditions that supported the provenience and the emergence of the secularization thesis. For that purpose, we applied a genealogical methodology that allows us to... more
The main focus of our research is the analysis and interpretation of the conditions that supported the provenience and the emergence of the secularization thesis. For that purpose, we applied a genealogical methodology that allows us to observe its historical vicissitudes, as well as its contingencies, discontinuities, and contradictions in sociological and presociological discourse. Thus, we propose a diachronic and systematic review of secularization‘s several meanings. We start by its Greco-Roman senses – where we identify the five basic layers of meaning of the concept – and then deepen what we call the fundamental moment for the establishment of a systematic study of the religious phenomenon in modern societies – its appropriation by sociology in the mid-nineteenth century, but, especially, in the late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century. The study of its provenience and emergence compels us to question secularization‘s representation, and of its concomitant project of modernity, as the natural order of modern societies.
Research Interests:
Despite being part of the scientific discourse in sociology of religions since the 1960’s, the theories of secularization have been heavily criticized since its advent. In particular its historical and ideological biases, its validity and... more
Despite being part of the scientific discourse in sociology of religions since the 1960’s, the theories of secularization have been heavily criticized since its advent. In particular its historical and ideological biases, its validity and theoretical extension and its expected results. However, these criticisms are, in most cases, scattered and they have not been developed deep and systematically. We believe that for any social scientist devoted to the study of secularization the compilation, articulation and interpretation of these criticisms is relevant in order to fully comprehend their internal deficiencies or incoherencies. Therefore our article aims to analyse the most solid and systematic critical arguments that have been made to secularization theories by the state of the art. For this purpose, we propose a descriptive, analytical, comparative and synchronic study of its inner layers and, then, of its criticisms. This examination allows us to get an in depth understanding of its propositional limitations and, thus, to support the proposal of new analytical and/or empirical categories or the development of new methodological strategies that ought to be considered in the context of multiple and global modernity
Research Interests:
As teorias da secularização têm marcado o debate científico na área da sociologia das religiões desde a década de 1960. Não obstante sua antiguidade e hegemonia nesse campo, para determinados teóricos a evolução não unilinear, universal... more
As teorias da secularização têm marcado o debate científico na área da sociologia das religiões desde a década de 1960. Não obstante sua antiguidade e hegemonia nesse campo, para determinados teóricos a evolução não unilinear, universal ou determinista do fenômeno religioso nas sociedades modernas tem vindo a desafiar seus pressupostos principais. Ademais, a desprivatização do religioso e seu novo protagonismo na esfera pública têm levado a questão da relação entre religião e política ao centro das reflexões sociológicas. Tais mudanças têm estimulado o deslocamento do debate na direção do político, como revela a centralidade de categorias como a laicidade, secularismo, múltiplas secularidades e outros. O objetivo deste dossiê é, então, colocar em discussão a contribuição explicativa destes diferentes enfoques analíticos, destacando seus méritos e limites, bem como suas diferenças, oposições e complementaridades. Além da discussão teórica, também serão aceites estudos empíricos que contribuam para o debate sobre o estatuto da religião e da secularidade no contexto da modernidade múltipla e global.
Research Interests:
Much has been written about secularization, but there have been few profound researches on its internal layers and on the most solid and systematic alternatives that followed. In our view, this has had two consequences: constraints of... more
Much has been written about secularization, but there have been few profound researches on its internal layers and on the most solid and systematic alternatives that followed. In our view, this has had two consequences: constraints of interpretative understanding and of analytical-theoretical deepening that must and can be overcome. To achieve this goal, we have chosen a research design that encompasses the strategy of thick description as well as the comparative method and we divided the paper in two basic parts. First, we analyse the main substrates of secularization, namely functional differentiation, rationalization, societalization, existential security and diversity, egalitarianism and individualism. Secondly, we introduce the main and most challenging alternative to secularization theories, according to the state of the art – the religious economy -, examining it in the light of secularization’s central assumptions. At the end of the paper, for a more systematic exam, we provide a table analysis comparing the main axioms of both theories.
Research Interests: Sociology of Religion, Art Economics and Markets, Rational Choice, Secularization, Rational Choice Theory, and 4 moreSociology of religion (Religion), Secular, secularism and secularization, Sociology of Religion, Laicity, and Secularisation, and Rational Choice Theory; Sociology of Religion; Homo Economicus
Much has been written on secularization, but there have been few profound investigations on its internal layers and on its the most solid and systematic alternatives that followed it. In our view, this has had two consequences:... more
Much has been written on secularization, but there have been few profound investigations on its internal layers and on its the most solid and systematic alternatives that followed it. In our view, this has had two consequences: constraints of interpretative
understanding and of analytical-theoretical deepening that must and can be overcome. To achieve this goal, we have chosen a research design that encompasses the strategy
of thick description as well as the comparative method and we divided the paper in
two basic parts. First, we analyse the main substrates of secularization, namely functional differentiation, rationalization, societalization, existential security and diversity, egalitarianism and individualism. Secondly, we introduce one of the most important and most challenging alternatives to secularization theories, according to the state of the art –individualization –, examining it in the light of secularization’s central assumptions. At the end of the paper, for a more systematic exam, we provide a table analysis comparing the main axioms of both theories.
understanding and of analytical-theoretical deepening that must and can be overcome. To achieve this goal, we have chosen a research design that encompasses the strategy
of thick description as well as the comparative method and we divided the paper in
two basic parts. First, we analyse the main substrates of secularization, namely functional differentiation, rationalization, societalization, existential security and diversity, egalitarianism and individualism. Secondly, we introduce one of the most important and most challenging alternatives to secularization theories, according to the state of the art –individualization –, examining it in the light of secularization’s central assumptions. At the end of the paper, for a more systematic exam, we provide a table analysis comparing the main axioms of both theories.
Research Interests:
Much has been written about secularization, but there have been few profound researches on its internal layers and on the most solid and systematic alternatives that followed. In our view, this has had two consequences: constraints of... more
Much has been written about secularization, but there have
been few profound researches on its internal layers and on
the most solid and systematic alternatives that followed.
In our view, this has had two consequences: constraints of
interpretative understanding and of analytical-theoretical
deepening that must and can be overcome. To achieve this goal,
we have chosen a research design that encompasses the strategy
of thick description as well as the comparative method and we
divided the paper in two basic parts. First, we analyse the main
substrates of secularization, namely functional differentiation,
rationalization, societalization, existential security and diversity,
egalitarianism and individualism. Secondly, we introduce the
main and most challenging alternative to secularization theories,
according to the state of the art – the religious economy –,
examining it in the light of secularization’s central assumptions.
The analysis of two diametrically opposed theories, concerning
the understanding of religion’s place in contemporary world,
will allow us to explore patterns of difference and similarity
between them. Additionally, we will be able to explain how is
it possible that this theoretical models, with similar objects of
study, have led us to the inference of such different results in
respect to the (in)variance or to the religious vitality (or the
lack of it) in modern societies. At the end of the paper, for a
more systematic exam of this point, we provide a table analysis
comparing the main axioms of both theories.
been few profound researches on its internal layers and on
the most solid and systematic alternatives that followed.
In our view, this has had two consequences: constraints of
interpretative understanding and of analytical-theoretical
deepening that must and can be overcome. To achieve this goal,
we have chosen a research design that encompasses the strategy
of thick description as well as the comparative method and we
divided the paper in two basic parts. First, we analyse the main
substrates of secularization, namely functional differentiation,
rationalization, societalization, existential security and diversity,
egalitarianism and individualism. Secondly, we introduce the
main and most challenging alternative to secularization theories,
according to the state of the art – the religious economy –,
examining it in the light of secularization’s central assumptions.
The analysis of two diametrically opposed theories, concerning
the understanding of religion’s place in contemporary world,
will allow us to explore patterns of difference and similarity
between them. Additionally, we will be able to explain how is
it possible that this theoretical models, with similar objects of
study, have led us to the inference of such different results in
respect to the (in)variance or to the religious vitality (or the
lack of it) in modern societies. At the end of the paper, for a
more systematic exam of this point, we provide a table analysis
comparing the main axioms of both theories.
Research Interests:
The chorus of authors, who considers that the European and North American political science had been negligent, for not paying attention to the religious phenomena in the study of the political events that influenced the world, in... more
The chorus of authors, who considers that the European and North American political science had been negligent, for not paying attention to the religious phenomena in the study of the political events that influenced the world, in particular since the 1970s, is extensive. Our work aims at testing the validity of this assertion, analysing, for this purpose, the contents of political science journals within a group of selected European countries. We chose nine scientific journals, from six different countries, and we analysed nearly 700 publications of the discipline. To support our comparative matrix, we examined more than 750 papers of sociology and social sciences and international relations. Their classification was made through the introduction of operational criteria of analysis that allowed us to distinguish between three different types of coded units: primary (religion is predominant), secondary (auxiliary function) and unclassified (not took into account). The period of study is between 2010 and 2015 and we found that, though Western political scientists continue to overlook the relevance of religious affairs and/or its scientific journals offer little space to these subjects, the picture is not as negative as the state of the art stated.
Research Interests:
This article examines the models of public and private funding and the concomitant administrative processes in practice in six European countries, where a specific type of secularism prevails: separation with cooperation, churches’... more
This article examines the models of public and private funding and the concomitant administrative processes in practice in six European countries, where a specific type of secularism prevails: separation with cooperation, churches’ hierarchy, through special laws, and religious freedom. By examining the object of our study, the funding of religion, we will be able to create a more comprehensive dialogue on secularism. To that end, we propose an examination of the funding mechanisms – financial compensations, direct or indirect tax advantages or tax assignation – that the States and taxpayers offer or can offer to churches and religious denominations. The use of the comparative method, between Austria, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain, will make us think over the new challenges and trends placed in front of European contemporary societies in the field of public funding.
Research Interests:
Our article addresses the different dimensions and the diverse shapes of contemporary secularism. Our theoretical framework derives from Alfred Stepan’s multiple secularisms perspective and Rajeev Bhargava’s context-sensitive analysis of... more
Our article addresses the different dimensions and the diverse shapes of contemporary secularism. Our theoretical framework derives from Alfred Stepan’s multiple secularisms perspective and Rajeev Bhargava’s context-sensitive analysis of different political, social and religious environments. In order to do it, we circumscribe our research in the relations between the Portuguese state and the churches and religious communities in the post 1974 period. By examining its democratic pattern of state-church relations, namely through the analysis of the established mechanisms of financial support, we intend to understand in which of the current models of secularism Portugal fits in. The fact that this is a contested case study, where we find a model of separation with cooperation between State and church and, consequently, a spirit of dialogue, negotiation and of enduring (re) definitions of public and symbolic space of both of them, with special emphasis on one specific religion, certainly help us to comprehend how ambiguous and pliable the boundaries of modern secularism can be.
Research Interests:
Our research plan will focus on three key elements. One concept , the crisis; one research thread, the social doctrine of the Catholic Church on the crisis; one case study, the Portuguese Catholic Church and the practical application of... more
Our research plan will focus on three key elements. One concept , the crisis; one research thread, the social doctrine of the Catholic Church on the crisis; one case study, the Portuguese Catholic Church and the practical application of theology in the face of crisis. First, we will try to comprehend our dependent variable by inserting it in a specific context (contemporary post-industrial societies) and in a specific period of time (since the late XIX century until today). Secondly, we will make it interact with some independent variables such as the financial, economic, political, cultural and anthropological framework of modern societies. Thirdly, throughout a diachronic and synchronic analysis of the Church's multiple and unexplored primary sources we will be able to observe the evolution of the phenomenon, understand its modern consequences, and to interpret the Church's proposition to overcome the crisis. Finally, in order to give greater substance to our research, we will focus on Portugal to see how, in a context of profound socioeconomic crisis, the Church has been acting with the view to promote and practice a new humanistic synthesis that places man as the aim and center of all socioeconomic life.
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Europe’s ultramodernity has brought a new understanding over the concept of secularization. More sensitive to the plurality of contextual expressions of this phenomenon and to its multidimensionality, sociology of religion redefined... more
Europe’s ultramodernity has brought a new understanding over the concept of secularization. More sensitive to the plurality of contextual expressions of this phenomenon and to its multidimensionality, sociology of religion redefined secularization within a more comprehensive sphere, despite not entering on its empirical and factual fields of analysis. This desideratum seems to have been left to political science. Our research is thus a proposal for finer studies and clearer epistemological scrutiny on the dislocation and reinstallation of the religious. For that purpose we have selected a particular set of European countries – Austria, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain – and we have introduced certain research criteria – sociocultural, politicohistorical and legal dimensions – that will help us to ponder more carefully on the modern contours of this phenomenon. With the introduction of this specific type of analysis on secularization we hope not only to put forward an original methodological contribution, but mainly to reply to the demand for operational and measurable elements to interpret it in the light of European ultramodernity.
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The financial crisis of the late 2000s has put the object of our study – the public funding of religious denominations – at the centre of the debate between state and churches. In fact the need of rationalisation of public expenditures... more
The financial crisis of the late 2000s has put the object of our study – the public funding of religious denominations – at the centre of the debate between state and churches. In fact the need of rationalisation of public expenditures has led European authorities to an effort to revise the subsidy system of religion. Our research thus intends to analyse the models of public and private funding existing in the European countries of Catholic majority where the principles of separation with cooperation, churches’ hierarchy, through special laws, and religious freedom prevail. By maximizing our empirical variable we will be able to create a more comprehensive dialogue over the funding mechanisms – financial compensations, tax exemptions or tax assignation – that the States offer directly or indirectly to churches and religious denominations. The use of the comparative matrix, between Austria, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain, will make us reflect on the new challenges and trends placed in front of contemporary societies in the field of public funding.
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The revival and reinterpretation of the concept of Christian charity – our dependent variable – is important because of the new significance that, from the past few years, it has gained due to the financial world crisis. In the Church’s... more
The revival and reinterpretation of the concept of Christian charity – our dependent variable – is important because of the new significance that, from the past few years, it has gained due to the financial world crisis. In the Church’s opinion, this crisis of civilization revalidates it because few like him offer inspiration for the erection of the new social ideal. Our research proposes a diachronic analysis, from the beginning of the Christian era to the XXI century, which will go through many of Church’s primary sources, as the Holy Scriptures and the early patristic texts, or even the most recent studies and encyclical documents over the subject. Therefore, we propose a unique and comprehensive revision of charity, questioning it through the relationship with multiple independent variables, whether political, social or economic. We will consider, albeit briefly, the Portuguese case study in order to give a more concrete face to the current validity of charity in modern and secular cultures and, more relevantly, in societies in circumstances of social emergency due to the crisis.
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La recuperación y la interpretación de la caridad cristiana - nuestra variable dependiente - es relevante dada la renovada importancia en los últimos años, se ha ganado debido a la crisis financiera mundial. Esta crisis de civilización, a... more
La recuperación y la interpretación de la caridad cristiana - nuestra variable dependiente - es relevante dada la renovada importancia en los últimos años, se ha ganado debido a la crisis financiera mundial. Esta crisis de civilización, a juicio de la Iglesia, vuelve a ella, porque pocos como él ofrecen inspiración para construir nuevo ideal social. Nuestra investigación propone un análisis diacrónico desde el comienzo de la era cristiana hasta el siglo 21, que abarcará numerosas fuentes primarias como las Sagradas Escrituras o de los primeros textos patrísticos, e incluso los últimos documentos encíclicos y estudios sobre el tema. Así que sugiero una revisión única y completa de la caridad, cuestionando a través de la relación con múltiples variables independientes ya sea político, social o económico. Llamamos en juego, aunque sea brevemente, el caso portugués con el fin de dar más expresión concreta a la realidad y la validez de nuestro objeto de estudio en las sociedades secularizadas, secular y, más relevante, en emergencia social a causa de la crisis.
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A recuperação e reinterpretação do conceito de caridade cristã – a nossa variável dependente – é relevante dada a renovada importância que, nos últimos anos, ele tem conquistado por causa da crise financeira mundial. Esta crise... more
A recuperação e reinterpretação do conceito de caridade cristã – a nossa variável dependente – é relevante dada a renovada importância que, nos últimos anos, ele tem conquistado por causa da crise financeira mundial. Esta crise civilizacional, na opinião da Igreja católica, revalida-o, porquanto poucos como ele oferecem inspiração ao novo ideal social a construir. A nossa investigação propõe uma análise diacrónica, desde os inícios da era cristã até ao século XXI, que percorrerá inúmeras fontes primárias, como as sagradas escrituras ou os primeiros textos patrísticos, e ainda os mais recentes documentos encíclicos e estudos sobre a matéria. Assim, sugerimos uma revisão original e compreensiva da caridade, problematizando-a através da relação com as múltiplas variáveis independentes quer sejam políticas, sociais ou económicas. Chamaremos à colação, ainda que brevemente, o caso português de modo a dar expressão mais concreta à atualidade e validade do nosso objeto de estudo em sociedades secularizadas, laicas e, mais relevantemente, em situação de emergência social por causa da crise.
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This research proposal recovers and reinterprets the concept of Christian charity, because of the new significance that recently it has achieved due to the financial world crisis. This civilizational crisis, in the Catholic Church’s... more
This research proposal recovers and reinterprets the concept of Christian charity, because of the new significance that recently it has achieved due to the financial world crisis. This civilizational crisis, in the Catholic Church’s opinion, revalidates it, because of its ability to produce a new social ideal. Therefore, we propose a diachronic analysis, from the beginning of the Christian era to the XXI century, examining a group of primary sources, as the Holy Scriptures and the patristic texts, and the most recent studies and encyclical documents on the subject. We propose a unique and comprehensive revision of charity, questioning it through its relationships with multiple political, social or economic forces of modern societies. We will give a more accurate picture of the current validity of charity through a brief analysis of the Portuguese case study. We want to grasp how the concept of Christian charity operates in secular societies, but specially, under circumstances of social emergency due to the crisis.
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The research design that we propose starts with the framework and conceptualization of our subject – the diakonia or charity – and intends to study the consequences of the Catholic’s Church influence in the field of social assistance in... more
The research design that we propose starts with the framework and conceptualization of our subject – the diakonia or charity – and intends to study the consequences of the Catholic’s Church influence in the field of social assistance in Portugal, by means of an historical, political, social and canonical approach. Focusing particularly on the period from the 25 th April of 1974 up to the early 2010s, but covering nearly nine centuries of history, we will investigate how the Church renewed its charity and social activities and used them as a criterion of credibility to face the vicissitudes of the times, allowing it to continue to influence, in an inexorable way, the social assistance and intervention programs of a laic State and of a secularized society.
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Pluralism means division of loyalties, that is, an expected disagreement on strategic social matters: between values, between numerous (valuable) ways of life that embody and express different valuations on themselves and between... more
Pluralism means division of loyalties, that is, an expected disagreement on strategic social matters: between values, between numerous (valuable) ways of life that embody and express different valuations on themselves and between dissimilar moral claims and interpretive perspectives. However, despite the divisiveness and sectarianism that moral pluralism can instill, it does not destroy the hope for consensus in political procedures. The constitutional model reflects, on a higher level, about the concern of the state with all people and all religions and serves to better explain the dimension of the concept of social pluralism. Its basic premise explains that we owe equal respect to all cultures, i.e., they all have something important to say about all human beings.
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O desenho deste estudo permitiu: a) comparar identidades religiosas históricas e identidades marcadas por fluxos migratórios mais recentes e analisar as variáveis geracionais, para compreender melhor as diversas estratégias de... more
O desenho deste estudo permitiu:
a) comparar identidades religiosas históricas e identidades marcadas por fluxos migratórios mais recentes e analisar as variáveis geracionais, para compreender melhor as diversas estratégias de reconstrução das identidades;
b) caracterizar a mobilidade religiosa, tanto no plano territorial (itinerários) como no plano biográfico (trajetórias);
c) identificar as correlações entre as práticas religiosas e outras práticas
culturais, entre as posições de pertença religiosa e outras pertenças;
d) identificar autorrepresentações relativas às diferenças identitárias;
e) identificar problemas e táticas no domínio da vivência quotidiana
das civilidades religiosas;
f) compreender as formas de articulação entre as idiossincrasias religiosas e os valores socialmente partilhados.
(...)
a) comparar identidades religiosas históricas e identidades marcadas por fluxos migratórios mais recentes e analisar as variáveis geracionais, para compreender melhor as diversas estratégias de reconstrução das identidades;
b) caracterizar a mobilidade religiosa, tanto no plano territorial (itinerários) como no plano biográfico (trajetórias);
c) identificar as correlações entre as práticas religiosas e outras práticas
culturais, entre as posições de pertença religiosa e outras pertenças;
d) identificar autorrepresentações relativas às diferenças identitárias;
e) identificar problemas e táticas no domínio da vivência quotidiana
das civilidades religiosas;
f) compreender as formas de articulação entre as idiossincrasias religiosas e os valores socialmente partilhados.
(...)
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De acordo com o Inquérito Identidades religiosas em Portugal, de 2011 (CERC-CESOP), coordenado por Alfredo Teixeira, o pluralismo religioso, no território português, está muito concentrado na Área Metropolitana de Lisboa. Mais de metade... more
De acordo com o Inquérito Identidades religiosas em Portugal, de 2011 (CERC-CESOP), coordenado por Alfredo Teixeira, o pluralismo religioso, no território português, está muito concentrado na Área Metropolitana de Lisboa. Mais de metade da população não crente (55,2%) encontra- -se nesta região. A Área Metropolitana de Lisboa reúne 62,2% dos inquiridos pertencentes a uma denominação protestante (incluindo os evangélicos). Reúne ainda 51% das Testemunhas de Jeová e 61,5% dos pertencentes a outras religiões. Também nessa região se verifica a percentagem mais elevada de outros cristãos (47,2%) e de crentes sem religião (43,5%). Ou seja, à escala do país, a região apresenta uma singular experiência de diversidade quanto às posições face à religião e aos tipos de pertença ou não-pertença religiosa. Nessa singularidade, a região pode ser lida como um «laboratório» da diversidade religiosa em Portugal. Neste estudo, por meio de um efeito de zoom, procura-se uma melhor definição dos contornos da paisagem religiosa na Área Metropolitana de Lisboa. Boa parte das teses sobre a religião nas sociedades com uma maioria católico-romana, determinada histórica e culturalmente, concentra-se na observação da erosão da prática religiosa e no exame dos debates ideológicos acerca de questões morais. O presente estudo pretende privilegiar o conhecimento das interfaces que relacionam o fenómeno de diversificação religiosa e as dinâmicas sociais que o contextualizam: práticas de fim de semana, quotidianos, sociabilidades, mobilidades, valores e expectativas.
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Este livro faz um retrato denso e original da ascensão do republicanismo (1875-1908), que levará à implantação da República, através da propaganda política expressa em numerosas imagens da época (reproduzidas na obra), dirigida a uma... more
Este livro faz um retrato denso e original da ascensão do republicanismo (1875-1908), que levará à implantação da República, através da propaganda política expressa em numerosas imagens da época (reproduzidas na obra), dirigida a uma população de quase 80% de analfabetos, e que se revelaram extremamente eficazes para a derrocada da monarquia constitucional.
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The social and cultural transformations occurred since the second quarter of the twentieth century had profound consequences on Catholic Church. If, on the one hand, the secularization process has forced the dislocation and reorganization... more
The social and cultural transformations occurred since the second quarter of the twentieth century had profound consequences on Catholic Church. If, on the one hand, the secularization process has forced the dislocation and reorganization of the religious factor in society – through which the world is no longer seen as an enemy to condemn and becomes perceived as a dialogue partner and as an end of evangelization itself –; on the other hand, mass media’s rapid expansion has opened new possibilities but also new challenges for the Church to spread the Gospel. In this context, Cinema acquires particular significance in the development of a right public opinion, as a tool at the service of human progress and as an element to preach the Kingdom of God proposing a New Humanity. Succinctly, Cinema becomes an epilogue of the New Evangelization.
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Scholarly debates about secularization and secularism have reached an unproductive impasse. Orthodox and neo-orthodox secularization theorists insist on the epistemological universality and global applicability of more or less uniform... more
Scholarly debates about secularization and secularism have reached an unproductive impasse. Orthodox and neo-orthodox secularization theorists insist on the epistemological universality and global applicability of more or less uniform concepts of secularization. Postcolonial critics, by contrast, sought to provincialize the notion of the secular emphasizing its Western origin, its coimplication with the nation-state, violence, and colonialism. In this article, we critically engage with both of these approaches and suggest the concept of “multiple secularities” as an alternative approach. Whereas both universalist and postcolonial approaches tend to reify and essentialize the secular we aim to historicize and culturalize secularity. We do so by arguing that secularity are culturally and symbolically anchored forms of distinguishing religious and non-religious social spheres and practices and that institutionalizations of such distinctions have served as ways of grappling with different kind of problems. Significantly, while recognizing the situated historicities of secularity our conceptualization frees secularity from its singular associations with the West and with modernity.
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In this essay, Talal Asad reflects on politics in contemporary Egypt and its relationship with Islamic tradition. Against the background of the Egyptian revolution of January 2011 and its following events, including hostility towards the... more
In this essay, Talal Asad reflects on politics in contemporary Egypt and its relationship with Islamic tradition. Against the background of the Egyptian revolution of January 2011 and its following events, including hostility towards the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters, Asad not only looks at the links between the modern secular worldview and Islam but fundamentally for the aspects of this tradition that, according to secularists, are incompatible with the modern sovereign state. Assuming a critical stance on modern practice and discourse – aimed at undermining Islamic tradition – the author explores the possibilities of reintegrating this tradition into the post-2011 Egyptian democratic path but using it only as a model for how liberal states can benefit from a kind of embodiment of customs and ethical principles offered by tradition.
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The case of the 2015 attack on the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in Paris illustrates the imagined war between secularism and religion that is in the background of many incidents of violence at the turn of the 21st... more
The case of the 2015 attack on the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine in Paris illustrates the imagined war between secularism and religion that is in the background of many incidents of violence at the turn of the 21st century. The Enlightenment idea that there are two different worldviews – two distinctly different spheres of understanding about reality—one of them secular and the other religious, is inherently problematic. This dichotomy creates an arena of discord that is easily exploited by people who feel isolated and marginalized for whatever reason and look for someone to blame and some battle to join. It is a false conflict which extremists on both sides, religious and secular, have exacerbated.
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Our research intends to analyze the models of public and private funding existing in a particular Catholic Europe where the principles of separation with cooperation, religions’ hierarchy, through special laws, and religious freedom... more
Our research intends to analyze the models of public and private funding existing in a particular Catholic Europe where the principles of separation with cooperation, religions’ hierarchy, through special laws, and religious freedom prevail. For that purpose, we propose a comparative law study of the funding instruments of churches and religious denominations in Austria, Slovakia, Spain, Italy, Poland, and Portugal, focusing not only on the identification of its similarities but mainly on the relative efficacy of its legal instruments. Through the comparative matrix we will be able to create a dialogue between the different forms how the states codify and regulate financial compensations, and tax exemptions that are offered to churches and religious denominations directly or indirectly. At the end of the paper, we will consider the new challenges and trends placed in front of European legal systems in terms of public and private funding of religion.
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Much has been said about secularization – the future of religion in modern societies –, but there have been few profound researches on its internal layers and on the most solid and systematic alternatives that followed. In our view, this... more
Much has been said about secularization – the future of religion in modern societies –, but there have been few profound researches on its internal layers and on the most solid and systematic alternatives that followed. In our view, this has had two consequences: constraints of interpretative understanding and of analyticaltheoretical deepening that must and can be overcome. To achieve this goal, we have chosen a research design that encompasses the strategy of thick description as well as the comparative method and we divided the paper in two basic parts. First, we analyse the main substrates of secularization, namely functional differentiation, rationalization, societalization, existential security and diversity, egalitarianism and individualism. Secondly, we introduce one of the most important and most challenging alternative to secularization theories, according to the state of the art –individualization -, examining it in the light of secularization’s central assumptions. At the end of the paper, for a more systematic exam, we compare the main axioms of both theories
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Vivemos numa era secular, foi dito em um dos ensaios filosóficos mais importantes do século XXI. Ou seja, existe uma estrutura imanente das ordens social e moral que opera como se o sagrado não existisse ou como se fosse oposto ao... more
Vivemos numa era secular, foi dito em um dos ensaios filosóficos mais importantes do século XXI. Ou seja, existe uma estrutura imanente das ordens social e moral que opera como se o sagrado não existisse ou como se fosse oposto ao processo de emancipação humana. Mas como chegámos até aqui? Julgamos que uma maneira de responder a esta pergunta é através do estudo de uma das expressões-chave do debate político, ético e filosófico contemporâneo – a secularização. Para isso propomos a análise e interpretação das condições que levaram à proveniência e emergência da tese da secularização, bem como do projeto de modernidade que encerra. Recorremos a uma metodologia genealógica de modo a observarmos suas vicissitudes históricas e suas contingências e descontinuidades no discurso (pré)sociológico. Assim, propomos um exame diacrónico das várias significações da secularização, começando pela sua proveniência greco-romana e aprofundando sua emergência no pensamento sociológico do século XIX.
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A crise financeira de finais da década de 2000 colocou a nossa variável dependente – o financiamento público das confissões religiosas - no centro do debate das relações entre Estado e igrejas. De facto, a urgência de racionalização da... more
A crise financeira de finais da década de 2000 colocou a nossa variável dependente – o financiamento público das confissões religiosas - no centro do debate das relações entre Estado e igrejas. De facto, a urgência de racionalização da despesa pública tem levado as autoridades europeias a um esforço de revisão dos sistemas de subsidiação do religioso. A nossa investigação pretende, portanto, analisar os modelos de subsidiação pública e privada existentes numa Europa católica particular onde imperam os princípios da laicidade com cooperação, da hierarquização de igrejas, por meio de leis especiais, e da liberdade religiosa. Através da maximização da nossa variável empírica será possível criar um diálogo com as demais variáveis independentes como as contrapartidas financeiras ou as isenções fiscais que o Estado oferece direta ou indiretamente às igrejas e confissões religiosas. Por meio da matriz comparativa, conseguiremos medir mais facilmente a intensidade da nossa variável empírica e refletir sobre os novos desafios e tendências, em matéria de financiamento público, colocados em face das sociedades contemporâneas.
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Les données sur les catholiques confirment ce qui a été observé dans l’enquête de 2011, en suggérant qu’il y a une diminution de son importance relative. Bien que plus de la moitié de la population se déclare catholique (54,9%), le poids... more
Les données sur les catholiques confirment ce qui a été observé dans l’enquête de 2011, en suggérant qu’il y a une diminution de son importance relative. Bien que plus de la moitié de la population se déclare catholique (54,9%), le poids relatif des individus qui déclarent n’appartenir à aucune religion est de plus en plus important (environ 35%). Dans ce groupe, le poids des non-croyants s’élève à 21,8% et le groupe des croyants sans religion a plus que doublé en moins de 10 ans et atteint maintenant 13,1%. Par rapport à l’étude de 2011, le nombre de catholiques est tombé à presque 13%, tandis les croyants sans religion et les individus non religieux ont augmenté de 7%. Les groupes religieux minoritaires (9,2%) ne sont pas trop considérables, même dans la région du pays la plus diversifiée sur le plan religieux. Concernant les chrétiens non catholiques notamment, les Evangéliques et Témoins de Jéhovah, sont les plus représentés (environ 7%).
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Le 27 octobre 2018, le pape Francisco a nommé le nouvel évêque des forces armées et de sécurité du Portugal, D. Rui Valério, âgé de 53 ans, qui a succédé à D. Manuel Linda qui a assumé la mission d'évêque du Porto (après la mort de... more
Le 27 octobre 2018, le pape Francisco a nommé le nouvel évêque des forces armées et de sécurité du Portugal, D. Rui Valério, âgé de 53 ans, qui a succédé à D. Manuel Linda qui a assumé la mission d'évêque du Porto (après la mort de l'ancien évêque D. António Francisco dos Santos). L'ordinariat militaire a sous sa juridiction tous les fidèles militaires ainsi que ceux qui sont au...
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O que é a secularização? Como se desenvolve? Como se expressa na atualidade? Estas são algumas das questões sobre as quais nos debruçamos. Encontrando o seu gérmen na crise e queda do Império Romano do Ocidente, caminhando até à... more
O que é a secularização? Como se desenvolve? Como se expressa na
atualidade? Estas são algumas das questões sobre as quais nos debruçamos. Encontrando o seu gérmen na crise e queda do Império Romano do Ocidente, caminhando até à concretização da separação de poderes nas revoluções liberais e entrando no século XXI, encontramos quatro paradoxos com os quais os Estados seculares se deparam e que exigem um esforço de reflexão sobre o conceito de neutralidade, liberdade e igualdade do império secular que construíram.
atualidade? Estas são algumas das questões sobre as quais nos debruçamos. Encontrando o seu gérmen na crise e queda do Império Romano do Ocidente, caminhando até à concretização da separação de poderes nas revoluções liberais e entrando no século XXI, encontramos quatro paradoxos com os quais os Estados seculares se deparam e que exigem um esforço de reflexão sobre o conceito de neutralidade, liberdade e igualdade do império secular que construíram.
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Com este trabalho pretendemos analisar a validade da asserção que diz que a ciência política tem ignorado os assuntos religiosos, no estudo dos acontecimentos políticos que marcam o mundo, em particular, desde o último quartel do século... more
Com este trabalho pretendemos analisar a validade da asserção que diz
que a ciência política tem ignorado os assuntos religiosos, no estudo dos acontecimentos políticos que marcam o mundo, em particular, desde o último quartel do século XX. Para isso, examinamos os conteúdos das publicações das revistas de ciência política de um grupo de países europeus criteriosamente selecionados. Foram escolhidos nove periódicos científicos de seis países diferentes e analisámos quase 700 publicações da disciplina. A sua classificação foi feita mediante a introdução de critérios de análise operativos que nos permitem distinguir três tipos de unidades codificadas: as primárias (religião surge destacada), secundárias (função acessória) e as não classificadas (não considerada). O nosso período de observação é entre 2010 e 2015 e aí verifica-se que, apesar de os cientistas políticos continuarem a subestimar a relevância dos assuntos religiosos e/ou de as revistas da área oferecerem pouco espaço a estes temas, o cenário não é tão negativo quanto o estado da arte denunciava.
que a ciência política tem ignorado os assuntos religiosos, no estudo dos acontecimentos políticos que marcam o mundo, em particular, desde o último quartel do século XX. Para isso, examinamos os conteúdos das publicações das revistas de ciência política de um grupo de países europeus criteriosamente selecionados. Foram escolhidos nove periódicos científicos de seis países diferentes e analisámos quase 700 publicações da disciplina. A sua classificação foi feita mediante a introdução de critérios de análise operativos que nos permitem distinguir três tipos de unidades codificadas: as primárias (religião surge destacada), secundárias (função acessória) e as não classificadas (não considerada). O nosso período de observação é entre 2010 e 2015 e aí verifica-se que, apesar de os cientistas políticos continuarem a subestimar a relevância dos assuntos religiosos e/ou de as revistas da área oferecerem pouco espaço a estes temas, o cenário não é tão negativo quanto o estado da arte denunciava.
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As teorias da secularização têm marcado o debate científico na área da sociologia das religiões desde a década de 1960. Não obstante sua antiguidade e hegemonia nesse campo, para determinados teóricos a evolução não unilinear, universal... more
As teorias da secularização têm marcado o debate científico na área da sociologia das religiões desde a década de 1960. Não obstante sua antiguidade e hegemonia nesse campo, para determinados teóricos a evolução não unilinear, universal ou determinista do fenômeno religioso nas sociedades modernas tem vindo a desafiar seus pressupostos principais. Ademais, a desprivatização do religioso e seu novo protagonismo na esfera pública têm levado a questão da relação entre religião e política ao centro das reflexões sociológicas. Tais mudanças têm estimulado o deslocamento do debate na direção do político, como revela a centralidade de categorias como a laicidade, secularismo, múltiplas secularidades e outros. O objetivo deste dossiê é, então, colocar em discussão a contribuição explicativa destes diferentes enfoques analíticos, destacando seus méritos e limites, bem como suas diferenças, oposições e complementaridades. Além da discussão teórica, também serão aceites estudos empíricos que contribuam para o debate sobre o estatuto da religião e da secularidade no contexto da modernidade múltipla e global.
Research Interests: Sociology of Religion, Secularization, Politics of Secularism, Comparative Secularism, Secularisms and Secularities, and 7 moreSociology of religion (Religion), Religion, Laicity, and Secularisation, Secularism, Islam and Secularism, Laicite, Theory and politics of multiculturalism, ethno-religious identities, national identity, Islamophobia, soci-economic disadvantage and secularism, with especial reference to British Asian Muslims., and Secular
Voici la 29 e lettre d'information du site Eurel (données sociologiques et juridiques sur la religion en Europe et au-delà), envoyée deux fois par an. / This is the newsletter # 29 of the Eurel website (sociological and legal data on... more
Voici la 29 e lettre d'information du site Eurel (données sociologiques et juridiques sur la religion en Europe et au-delà), envoyée deux fois par an. / This is the newsletter # 29 of the Eurel website (sociological and legal data on religions in Europe and beyond) which is sent twice a year. Vous y trouverez, pour de nombreux pays, des informations concernant le droit et les sciences sociales des religions en Europe : les références des livres et articles récemment parus, les nouveaux sites internet, les derniers sondages, les prochains colloques consacrés à ces disciplines. La lettre fournit également des informations sur l'actualité du site / The letter provides academic news concerning law and sociology of religion in many countries of Europe: references of recent books or articles, new websites, just released surveys, and coming meetings. The letter also includes information concerning the latest changes in the Eurel website.
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Voici la 28 e lettre d'information du site Eurel (données sociologiques et juridiques sur la religion en Europe et au-delà), envoyée deux fois par an. / This is the newsletter # 28 of the Eurel website (sociological and legal data on... more
Voici la 28 e lettre d'information du site Eurel (données sociologiques et juridiques sur la religion en Europe et au-delà), envoyée deux fois par an. / This is the newsletter # 28 of the Eurel website (sociological and legal data on religions in Europe and beyond) which is sent twice a year. Vous y trouverez, pour de nombreux pays, des informations concernant le droit et les sciences sociales des religions en Europe : les références des livres et articles récemment parus, les nouveaux sites internet, les derniers sondages, les prochains colloques consacrés à ces disciplines. La lettre fournit également des informations sur l'actualité du site / The letter provides academic news concerning law and sociology of religion in many countries of Europe: references of recent books or articles, new websites, just released surveys, and coming meetings. The letter also includes information concerning the latest changes in the Eurel website.
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Voici la 27 e lettre d'information du site Eurel (données sociologiques et juridiques sur la religion en Europe et au-delà), envoyée deux fois par an. / This is the newsletter # 27 of the Eurel website (sociological and legal data on... more
Voici la 27 e lettre d'information du site Eurel (données sociologiques et juridiques sur la religion en Europe et au-delà), envoyée deux fois par an. / This is the newsletter # 27 of the Eurel website (sociological and legal data on religions in Europe and beyond) which is sent twice a year. Vous y trouverez, pour de nombreux pays, des informations concernant le droit et les sciences sociales des religions en Europe : les références des livres et articles récemment parus, les nouveaux sites internet, les derniers sondages, les prochains colloques consacrés à ces disciplines. La lettre fournit également des informations sur l'actualité du site / The letter provides academic news concerning law and sociology of religion in many countries of Europe: references of recent books or articles, new websites, just released surveys, and coming meetings. The letter also includes information concerning the latest changes in the Eurel website.
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Voici la vingt-sixième lettre d'information du site Eurel (données sociologiques et juridiques sur la religion en Europe et au-delà), envoyée deux fois par an. / This is the newsletter # 26 of the Eurel website (sociological and legal... more
Voici la vingt-sixième lettre d'information du site Eurel (données sociologiques et juridiques sur la religion en Europe et au-delà), envoyée deux fois par an. / This is the newsletter # 26 of the Eurel website (sociological and legal data on religions in Europe and beyond) which is sent twice a year. Vous y trouverez, pour de nombreux pays, des informations concernant le droit et les sciences sociales des religions en Europe : les références des livres et articles récemment parus, les nouveaux sites internet, les derniers sondages, les prochains colloques consacrés à ces disciplines. La lettre fournit également des informations sur l'actualité du site / The letter provides academic news concerning law and sociology of religion in many countries of Europe: references of recent books or articles, new websites, just released surveys, and coming meetings. The letter also includes information concerning the latest changes in the Eurel website.
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The main goal of this thesis is to test secularization theories, trying to understand not only the place of religion in modern European societies but especially which of these theories, if any, is currently more useful to describe this... more
The main goal of this thesis is to test secularization theories, trying to understand not only the place of religion in modern European societies but especially which of these theories, if any, is currently more useful to describe this sociorreligious reality. Thus, we want to understand which processes of modernity have more (positive or negative) effects on religion. As many researchers pointed out, we have come to a stalemate or deadlock in the secularization debate. Some are now asking, more assertively than in the past, that secularization theories be abandoned, namely because of the phenomena of (public or private) revitalization of religion on a global scale. Others still advocate that its assumptions are too rich to be lightly abandoned and that secularization remains a good way of understanding the working of modern societies, especially European, in relation to religion. Despite these divergences, most social researchers converge in the same direction, namely in the idea that, in order to test the validity of secularization assertions, we need new methodological and conceptual strategies, new qualitative and quantitative analyzes and new analytical frameworks. This thesis is or tries to be a step in that direction. In order to fulfil our goals, we have organized it into two essential parts. In the first one, we work secularization theories in a more inductive way, reconceptualising and operationalising them theoretically. In particular, we emphasize the fact that we have divided secularization theories into four critical layers, framed them in the paradigm of multiple modernities (proposing a contextual analysis of secularization), and selected a group of European countries not often studied and compared – Austria, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, and Spain. In the second one, we work secularization theories in a more hypothetico-deductive way, conducting qualitative and quantitative analyzes that allow us to test the assumptions of its internal layers. In our view, here lies the most original contribution of our thesis, since we create an index of religiosity (our dependent variable) that correlates with secularization layers (the independent variables). This helps us to test the validity of the latter and to corroborate or not its narrative. By the present dynamics of modern European societies, we still consider the issue of cultural diversity in great depth, since it is crucial for understanding religion’s new dynamics and its relation to this ineluctable phenomenon of modernity. For this purpose, we also create an index of cultural diversity that correlates with our dependent variable. We conclude that for the selected group of countries and for the analysis period we have chosen (1999-2015), secularization theories continue to be, in general, very negatively correlated with the index of viii religiosity of these societies. In addition, we emphasize that the independent variable cultural diversity is the one most negatively correlated with religiosity. Therefore, we consider that its study is currently the most pressing in regard to secularization theories.