More or less religion? Navigating unclear contemporary trends in the religion-politics nexus

A significant body of research on religion and politics centers on their changing interaction, with scholars debating which concept best captures the current interplay between the two spheres. Key terms include secularization (Berger, 1967; Bruce, 2002), desecularization (Berger, 1999), polarization (Campbell, 2016), and counter-secularization (Fabri, 2013; Steinmann, 2024), though the specific tensions between these concepts remain insufficiently explored. Behind the idea of our section, the repertoire of secular and religious ideas and groups covers a broad range and cannot be treated monolithically. Secular groups may engage with religious groups through dialogue, activism, and legal means, especially when religious beliefs intersect with public policy issues like healthcare, education, and civil rights. However, when religious ideas are viewed as negating secular principles, such as gender equality or freedom of expression, secular groups may push for policies that limit religious influence in these areas. Confrontation can range from public campaigns and legal challenges to fostering inclusive spaces where different belief systems coexist, balancing the protection of individual freedoms with respect for religious diversity. Therefore, instead of making assumptions about distinct groups and their beliefs, we explore the specific strategies, terms, and discourses secular and religious groups adopt when they engage, confront, and collaborate with others. Therefore, in addition to understanding the sources and consequences of religious and secular conflicts, our analyses will shed light on efforts such as those of interfaith groups (Orton, 2016) or some initiatives that try to develop common ground between secular and religious groups. Given the scarce attention from academics, understanding non-confrontational relations and unpacking some neglected mediation initiatives will substantially contribute to the existing studies. Underlying questions The workshop will engage several questions from a comparative perspective involving scholars who focus on different countries and methodological perspectives: 1) Secular-religious conflicts revolve around the role of religion in public spaces, the separation of church and state, and the legal recognition of religious practices. However, these conflicts vary significantly from one country to another. For example, in countries like France, debates about secularism and religious expression are sparked by issues such as wearing religious symbols in public institutions. However, these matters are not fiercely contested in other countries like the US and Turkey. Additionally, disputes over topics such as reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and educational curricula are common areas where secular values clash with religious beliefs in diverse political and cultural contexts. Nevertheless, such issues are very divisive in some countries, not others; why? 2) Religious groups often view secularism as either a neutral framework allowing freedom of belief or as an expression of an anti-religious ideology that marginalizes religion. Some conservative religious movements may see secularism as a force that seeks to eliminate religious values from public life, portraying it as morally corrosive. Secular institutions, like the judiciary or educational systems, and movements advocating for the separation of religion and state can be seen as embodiments of secular ideas that challenge traditional religious authority or the primary institutions to protect religious groups. Given different and sometimes contradictory meanings, can secular/religious have an empirical and conceptual core that transcends different contexts? 3) In some contexts, particularly in countries like France, secularism (laïcité) is presumed to be a deeply held cultural and political principle that goes beyond mere neutrality, actively promoting the separation of religion from public life. In other countries like the US, secularism, though not used in official discourse, seems to have a dual meaning. Simultaneously, it describes a state and citizens' commitment to protecting the state from undue religious pressures and religious groups from excessive state interventions. The variations in secularism raise the question of whether secularism is an ambiguous term or if it functions as its worldview, promoting values that some may consider as parallel to religious ideologies. 4) The "nones"—those who identify as having no religious affiliation—are growing and may significantly influence the relationship between secular and religious institutions. Although their number keeps growing whether the nones are a-religious or anti-religious or not, and if and how they construct their belief systems remain unknown. The rise of the "nones" may indicate a shift towards more secular, pluralistic societies with less influence from traditional religious authorities. Given that the nones include atheists, agnostics, and spiritual individuals, we ask how their diverse beliefs impact secular-religious dynamics and the potential for new cultural norms to emerge. This section intends to disentangle the complex relations between secularization and desecularization in current Western societies and beyond. Panels will illuminate to what extent secularization is (still) of relevance and where religion(s) manage(s) to maintain a dominant factor or even to succeed in making a comeback, and they will do it through various topics. Possible topics for panels are as follows: -Digital Religion and the use of social media -The influence of religious parties within secularizing societies -Party competition over the public influence of religion -Churches as intermediary organizations between state and civil society -Political controversies surrounding moral issues -The securitization of religion about terrorism -Governance approaches to religious diversity -Collective action dynamics among religious minorities -Religion and religiosity as sources of social capital and societal cohesion -Religion and democracy: A contentious relationship? -Accommodating Islam: Conflicts over religious symbols, rituals, places of worship, and education Papers from all corners of social sciences that tackle the above-listed and other relevant topics are welcome. They will include both theoretical debates and empirical considerations. They will seek to critically analyze and rethink the main categories and theses commonly adopted to understand the relations between secularization and secularization in various contexts. We welcome submissions with different approaches, from single or comparative case studies and statistical analyses to experiments.