José Casanova: "Secularism and Religious and Spiritual Forms of Belonging" (2 of 4)

Secularization has meant not mainly the decline of religion (although in many countries this has been a consequence )—but, rather, the pluralization of religious, or spiritual positions, and the creation of a culture of ecumenical exchange, which is very different from what obtained half a century ago. Professor Taylor examines this development and contrasts it to another religious development, viz., the use of religion as a marker of political identity and mobilization, frequently accompanied by conflict and violence. This bifurcation of religious belonging into two utterly opposed tendencies is a crucial feature of our times. José Casanova is one of the world's top scholars in the sociology of religion. He is a professor at the Department of Sociology at Georgetown University, and heads the Berkley Center's Program on Globalization, Religion and the Secular. He has published works in a broad range of subjects, including religion and globalization, migration and religious pluralism, transnational religions, and sociological theory. His best-known work, Public Religions in the Modern World (1994), has become a modern classic in the field and has been translated into five languages, including Arabic and Indonesian. In 2012, Casanova was awarded the Theology Prize from the Salzburger Hochschulwochen in recognition of life-long achievement in the field of theology. Casanova’s most recent research has focused primarily on two areas: globalization and religion, and the dynamics of transnational religion, migration, and increasing ethno-religious and cultural diversity. His research on religion and globalization has adopted an ambitious comparative perspective that includes Catholicism, Pentecostalism and Islam. Some of his recent articles in this area include “Public Religions Revisited” in Hent de Vries, ed., Religion: Beyond the Concept (Fordham University Press, 2008), and “Nativism and the Politics of Gender in Catholicism and Islam” in Hanna Herzog and Ann Braude, ed., Gendering Religion and Politics: Untangling Modernities (Palgrave, 2009). His work on transnational migration and religion explores the incorporation of minorities and the construction of transnational networks, identities and structures. Some of his work in this area includes “Immigration and the New Religious Pluralism: A EU/US Comparison” in Thomas Banchoff, ed., Democracy and the New Religious Pluralism (Oxford University Press, 2007). In addition, he has headed several major research projects focused on these topics, including “Religion and Immigrant Incorporation in New York” and “The Religious Lives of Migrant Minorities: London, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur”. This discussion was held at ACU North Sydney Campus on 29 April 2016. Part 1:    • Charles Taylor: "Secularism and Religious ...   Part 2:    • José Casanova: "Secularism and Religious a...   Part 3:    • Rajeev Bhargava: "Secularism and Religious...   Part 4:    • Discussion Q&A: "Secularism and Religious ...   https://isj.acu.edu.au/