The Islamist attacks of 9/11, the Danish cartoon affair and rioting by Muslim youths in France are just some of the events that have caused the 'Muslim question' to become a key issue of public debate in many western democracies. Secularism, Religion and Multicultural Citizenship argues that the Muslim case raises important questions about how we understand western secularism and respond to new religious claims in multicultural democracies. The contributors challenge prevailing assumptions about the history and practice of western secularism and recover the pragmatism behind liberal principles in negotiating new conditions. By situating the Muslim experience in relation to western secularism and liberal democratic practice, and through examining a variety of national contexts (including Britain, Germany, France, Denmark, the United States, Australia and India), this book extends thinking about our contemporary condition and considers the broader significance for multicultural liberal democracies.
- Situates the current concern over Muslim integration within larger debates over secularism and multiculturalism
- Combines historical, philosophical, and sociological analyses of the topic
- Explores cases and trends in Britain, Germany, France, the United States, Australia and India
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Reviews & endorsements
'What, exactly, is liberal about passing restrictive policies designed to defend liberalism from the claims of religious populations? Nothing, is the answer given in this challenging and provocative book. In fact, many of the authors of these essays contend that European states have responded to the rise of Islam in their midst with a peculiar form of cultural and political sectarianism that has, at times, been glaringly illiberal. This book is sure to shape debate on a classic theoretical question that now resides at the heart of contemporary European politics.' Tim Byrnes, Colgate University
'… an edited collection of essays whose ambition is to bring to bear theoretical rigor, historical insights, and cultural analysis upon questions of political theory that are as timely as they are weighty, namely the just boundary between Islam and the state, the risks associated with secularism, and the compatibility of Islam and western liberal democracy. Under the direction of editors Geoffrey Brahm Levey and Tariq Modood, the authors rise to the occasion with originality, aplomb, and a refreshing pragmatism that makes this a book well worth reading.' Journal of Church and State
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Product details
- Date Published: November 2008
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9780521695411
- length: 298 pages
- dimensions: 228 x 151 x 18 mm
- weight: 0.49kg
- contains: 1 b/w illus. 6 tables
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
Foreword: What is secularism? Charles Taylor
1. Secularism and religion in a multicultural age Geoffrey Brahm Levey
Part I. Debating Secularism:
2. The shallow legitimacy of secular liberal orders: the case of early modern Brandenburg-Prussia Ian Hunter
3. France on the knife-edge of religion: commemorating the centenary of the law of 9 December 1905 on the separation of church and state David Saunders
4. Political secularism: why it is needed and what can be learnt from its Indian version Rajeev Bhargava
5. Secularism, public reason or moderately agonistic democracy? Veit Bader
Part II. Secularism and Multicultural Citizenship:
6. Immigration and the new religious pluralism: a European/United States comparison José Casanova
7. Muslims, religious equality and secularism Tariq Modood
8. Contemporary politics of secularism S. Sayyid
9. Muslims in the west and their attitudes to full participation in western societies: some reflections Abdullah Saeed
10. Liberal democracy, multicultural citizenship and the Danish cartoon affair Geoffrey Brahm Levey and Tariq Modood.
Look Inside
Editors
Geoffrey Brahm Levey, University of New South Wales, Sydney
Geoffrey Brahm Levey is Senior Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences and International Studies and founding Director of the Program in Jewish Studies at the University of New South Wales, Sydney.
Tariq Modood, University of Bristol
Tariq Modood is Professor of Sociology, Politics and Public Policy and founding Director of the Centre for the Study of Ethnicity and Citizenship at the University of Bristol, UK.
Foreword
Charles Taylor, Northwestern University, Illinois
Contributors
Charles Taylor, Geoffrey Brahm Levey, Ian Hunter, David Saunders, Rajeev Bhargava, Veit Bader, José Casanova, Tariq Modood, S. Sayyid, Abdullah Saeed