Overview
This collection of essays presents groundbreaking work from an interdisciplinary group of leading theorists and scholars representing the fields of history, philosophy, political science, sociology, and anthropology. The volume will introduce readers to some of the most compelling new conceptual and theoretical understandings of secularism and the secular, while also examining socio-political trends involving the relationship between the religious and the secular from a variety of locations across the globe.In recent decades, the public has become increasingly aware of the important role religious commitments play in the cultural, social, and political dynamics of domestic and world affairs. This so called ''resurgence'' of religion in the public sphere has elicited a wide array of responses, including vehement opposition to the very idea that religious reasons should ever have a right to expression in public political debate. The current global landscape forces scholars to reconsider not only once predominant understandings of secularization, but also the definition and implications of secular assumptions and secularist positions. The notion that there is no singular secularism, but rather a range of multiple secularisms, is one of many emerging efforts to reconceptualize the meanings of religion and the secular.Rethinking Secularism surveys these efforts and helps to reframe discussions of religion in the social sciences by drawing attention to the central issue of how ''the secular'' is constituted and understood. It provides valuable insight into how new understandings of secularism and religion shape analytic perspectives in the social sciences, politics, and international affairs.
Full Product Details
Author: Craig Calhoun (University Professor of the Social Sciences, University Professor of the Social Sciences, New York University, New York, NY) ,
Mark Juergensmeyer (Director, Director, Orfalea Center for Global & International Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA) ,
Jonathan VanAntwerpen (Program Officer & Research Fellow, Program Officer & Research Fellow, Social Science Research Council New York, NY)
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc
Imprint: Oxford University Press Inc
Dimensions:
Width: 23.50cm
, Height: 2.10cm
, Length: 15.60cm
Weight: 0.431kg
ISBN: 9780199796687
ISBN 10: 0199796688
Pages: 328
Publication Date: 25 August 2011
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Professional and scholarly
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: To order
Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us.
Reviews
<br> This volume marks the conclusion of a massive four-year academic research project devoted to the analysis of the realities represented by the terms 'secular, ' 'secularism, ' and 'secularization.'...This conversation, I believe, remains one of the main tasks confronting those who write on secularism today. --Anglican Theological Review<p><br>
Author Information
Craig Calhoun is President of the Social Science Research Council, University Professor of the Social Sciences at New York University, and Founding Director of NYU's Institute for Public Knowledge. Mark Juergensmeyer is Director of the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies, Professor of Sociology, and Affiliate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Jonathan VanAntwerpen is Program Officer & Research Fellow at the Social Science Research Council.
