“(Un)-Believing in Modern Society“
New study about religion and spirituality in Switzerland
This recently translated study in the sociology of religion sheds new light on the question of what has happened to religion and spirituality since the 1960s in modern societies. Exposing several analytical weaknesses of today's sociology of religion, “(Un)Believing in Modern Society” presents a new theory of religious-secular competition and a new typology of ways of being religious or secular. Among the authors are the theologians Prof. Dr. Judith Könemann from University of Münster’s Cluster of Excellence “Religion and Politics” and Dr. Michael Krüggeler form the Center of Religion and Modernity (CRM) form University of Münster.
The authors draw on Switzerland as a specific European society as their test case, using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to show how the theory can be applied. Identifying four ways of being religious or secular in a modern society: 'institutional', 'alternative', 'distanced' and 'secular' they show how and why these forms have emerged as a result of religious-secular competition and describe in what ways all four forms are adapted to the current, individualised society. The study first was published in German with the title “Religion und Spiritualität in der Ich-Gesellschaft” and in French with the title “Religion et spiritualité à l’ère de l’ego”. (Routledge/mit/vvm)