Europe between Laicity and Denominationalism. Some Paths of Reflection

• Main Author: Mondher Kilani
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Barcelona Centre for International Affairs (CIDOB) 2007-06-01
• Series: Revista CIDOB d'Afers Internacionals
• Subjects: Europe; religion; secularisation; secularism
• Online Access: http://www.cidob.org/es/content/download/5413/53530/file/kilian_77.pdf

In this work, the author examines the place that religion currently occupies in society as well as its capacity for organising the perception of identities and influencing certain policies. Itargues that, beyond the effectiveness of religious practice, a rather minority phenomenon, today religion plays a not inconsiderable role as a social language of identification in an increasinglyheterogeneous social space due to the multiplicity of cultural, religious and ideological refer ences that characterise it. After reviewing the diversity of denominational models that characterisethe different countries of Europe, and their relationship with the process of secularisation, he focuses on the idea of secularisation in order to try to demonstrate the extent to which it is a fundamental notion for the organisation of civil society and its democratic space. Finally, the author points out the need to separate this notion from any dogmatic approach that consists of rigidly separating religion and society, public space and private space, as well as opening it up to a detailed and democratically negotiated recognition of cultural and religious diversity.