Revisiting the Religious-Secular Cleavage in Party Politics

Abstract

Religion, religious identity, and secularism have reemerged as central issues in contemporary party politics. While many scholars expected a gradual decline of the religious-secular cleav-age, recent trends indicate a renewed salience: ranging from the mobilization of Christian-democratic and faith-based actors in welfare, immigration or family politics, to the politiciza-tion of Islam in immigration and integration debates, and the rise of assertive secularism or cultural majoritarianism within right-wing movements. This panel invites theoretical and empirical contributions that examine how parties and politi-cal actors negotiate, instrumentalize, or challenge religion and secularism in democratic sys-tems in conflicts about, for instance, abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, blasphemy, faith-based welfare provision or education. Papers are also welcome that explore changing patterns of mobiliza-tion, the reframing of religious and secular identities, and the transformation of traditional church–state relations in party competition. The panel will discuss questions such as • How do political parties mobilize religious identities, values, and organizations in electoral competition? • In what ways do secularism, laïcité, or post-secular approaches shape contemporary conflicts over rights, citizenship, welfare, education, morality issues or migration? • What new alignments occur between religious institutions, civil society actors, and po-litical parties in times of polarization? • How are minority religions politicized within national debates on integration, security, and pluralism? • What role do religious and/or secular values play for voters’ political positions and party affiliations?

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