Public Religions in the Modern World

by José Casanova

Book Overview

In a sweeping reconsideration of the relation between religion and modernity, Jose Casanova surveys the roles that religions may play in the public sphere of modern societies.

During the 1980s, religious traditions around the world, from Islamic fundamentalism to Catholic liberation theology, began making their way, often forcefully, out of the private sphere and into public life, causing the "deprivatization" of religion in contemporary life. No longer content merely to administer pastoral care to individual souls, religious institutions are challenging dominant political and social forces, raising questions about the claims of entities such as nations and markets to be "value neutral", and straining the traditional connections of private and public morality.

Casanova looks at five cases from two religious traditions (Catholicism and Protestantism) in four countries (Spain, Poland, Brazil, and the United States). These cases challenge postwar--and indeed post-Enlightenment--assumptions about the role of modernity and secularization in religious movements throughout the world.

This book expands our understanding of the increasingly significant role religion plays in the ongoing construction of the modern world.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0226095355
• ISBN13: 9780226095356
• Release Date: June 1994
• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Length: 330 Pages
• Weight: 1.07 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

An invaluble contribution

In his widely acclaimed and cited book, Casanova provides a fruitful understanding of the continuing role of religion in modern societies. He develops a three dimensional definition of secularization that is quite innovative and clarifies many of the misconceptions associated with the concept. His main argument is that despite the fact that religion remains a vibrant and visible factor in modern public life, it no longer regulates the different aspects of social relationships such as economy, politics, sex, and ethics as it used to be before the Protestant Reformation, the rise of capitalism and Englihtenment. He argues the notion of "public religion" best describes the contemporary importance of religion to societies. The book is very well written and reflects the substantial erudition of the author. Apart from its theoretical chapters, it is built on the case studies of five countries in Europe and American continent. In a time when most of the discussions on religious revivalism, religious fundamentalism, and religious terrorism lack coherent analytical frameworks, Casanova's rearticulation of the relationship between religion and modernity is an invaluable contribution.