Secularism And State Policies Toward Religion: The United States, France, And Turkey (cambridge Studies In Social Theory, Religion And Politics)
by Ahmet T. Kuru /
2009 / English / PDF
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Why do secular states pursue different policies toward religion?
This book provides a generalizable argument about the impact of
ideological struggles on the public policy making process, as well
as a state-religion regimes index of 197 countries. More
specifically, it analyzes why American state policies are largely
tolerant of religion, whereas French and Turkish policies generally
prohibit its public visibility, as seen in their bans on Muslim
headscarves. In the United States, the dominant ideology is
"passive secularism," which requires the state to play a passive
role, by allowing public visibility of religion. Dominant ideology
in France and Turkey is "assertive secularism," which demands that
the state play an assertive role in excluding religion from the
public sphere. Passive and assertive secularism became dominant in
these cases through certain historical processes, particularly the
presence or absence of an ancien régime based on the marriage
between monarchy and hegemonic religion during state-building
periods.
Why do secular states pursue different policies toward religion?
This book provides a generalizable argument about the impact of
ideological struggles on the public policy making process, as well
as a state-religion regimes index of 197 countries. More
specifically, it analyzes why American state policies are largely
tolerant of religion, whereas French and Turkish policies generally
prohibit its public visibility, as seen in their bans on Muslim
headscarves. In the United States, the dominant ideology is
"passive secularism," which requires the state to play a passive
role, by allowing public visibility of religion. Dominant ideology
in France and Turkey is "assertive secularism," which demands that
the state play an assertive role in excluding religion from the
public sphere. Passive and assertive secularism became dominant in
these cases through certain historical processes, particularly the
presence or absence of an ancien régime based on the marriage
between monarchy and hegemonic religion during state-building
periods.
