Rivers of ink have been written about the post-secular, both in terms of its potential and inadequacies. This proves that there is no academic consensus on the subject, but it also reveals the importance of the issues that the post-secular paradigm brings to the table. In this chapter, we present a critical perspective on post-secularization, reflecting on its potential future development. To this end, in the first section of our contribution, we explore the emergence of the post-secular debate, tracing its contributions to the re-examination of secularization from the perspective of plurality. We will also delve into the criticisms posed to post-secularization—particularly the lack of theoretical concreteness observed by its critics—, and the possibility that it may end up being an “epochal discussion” of the early twenty-first century. In order to prevent the latter, we will argue that post-secularization needs to be conceived in a continuous dialogue with academic debates on religions and the evolving socio-religious reality. In the second part of the chapter, we will solidify our argument by presenting the challenges and contributions of non-religion studies—a sub-discipline which has become increasingly important in the sociology of religion in the early part of the twenty-first century— to post-secularization. The reason for choosing the debate on non-religion is that this field is revealing new insights into processes of secularization that are fundamental to the reframing of the post-secular discussion. By exploring the nuances that non-religious studies offer to the understanding of secularization—from the global scale, from the blurred boundaries between the secular and the religious, and from superdiversity—we also aim to find ways to keep thinking about post-secularity and prevent it from becoming an “epochal debate”.

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Beyond Secularization: Exploring the Post-Secular through Non-Religion

  • Rafael Ruiz Andrés,
  • Javier Recio Huetos

摘要

Rivers of ink have been written about the post-secular, both in terms of its potential and inadequacies. This proves that there is no academic consensus on the subject, but it also reveals the importance of the issues that the post-secular paradigm brings to the table. In this chapter, we present a critical perspective on post-secularization, reflecting on its potential future development. To this end, in the first section of our contribution, we explore the emergence of the post-secular debate, tracing its contributions to the re-examination of secularization from the perspective of plurality. We will also delve into the criticisms posed to post-secularization—particularly the lack of theoretical concreteness observed by its critics—, and the possibility that it may end up being an “epochal discussion” of the early twenty-first century. In order to prevent the latter, we will argue that post-secularization needs to be conceived in a continuous dialogue with academic debates on religions and the evolving socio-religious reality. In the second part of the chapter, we will solidify our argument by presenting the challenges and contributions of non-religion studies—a sub-discipline which has become increasingly important in the sociology of religion in the early part of the twenty-first century— to post-secularization. The reason for choosing the debate on non-religion is that this field is revealing new insights into processes of secularization that are fundamental to the reframing of the post-secular discussion. By exploring the nuances that non-religious studies offer to the understanding of secularization—from the global scale, from the blurred boundaries between the secular and the religious, and from superdiversity—we also aim to find ways to keep thinking about post-secularity and prevent it from becoming an “epochal debate”.