Europe, Religion and Secularization: Trends, Paradoxes and Dilemmas

Dear Colleagues,

The study of and debate about religion in Europe remains surprisingly vibrant. The exploration of avenues for understanding the impact of modernity on religion (both institutional and individual) has ensured both abundant data and epistemological advances, as evidenced by the recent and widely read Special Issue of Religions.

The pressures are real. Historical processes and their continual updating, cultural and religious diversity, new forms of religiosity and spirituality including so-called religious “nones”, demographic issues, digital mass media, the ‘new’ youth (millennials and generation Z), gender issues, sexualities, political and religious populism, religious freedom or lack thereof, new forms of state–church relations, new forms of evangelization, environmental concerns, the effects of the pandemic, and the return of war to the European continent all demand that we, as researchers, constantly update both our data and our understandings of the relationship and tensions between religion and modernity in and across Europe.

The conceptual pressures are similar. The epistemological avenues opened up by the debate on multiple modernities and, consequently, multiple secularizations, compel us to revisit in a more contextual manner the grand narratives (especially those of subtraction) of secularization. Europe has long since ceased to be seen as a homogeneous reality, i.e., a single exceptional case of secularization, contrasting with a ‘furiously religious’ world (as Peter Berger termed it). This does not, however, diminish the European continent’s attractiveness for those researching the relationship between modernization and religion. On the contrary, research on secularization in Europe is more than ever relevant due to continually changing circumstances, diverse modeling, multiple secularizations, and the specific arrangements that emerge from the experiences of each European state and society.

Keeping this complexity in mind, this Special Issue invites researchers interested in looking again at the role of religion in European societies to submit proposals, with a view to expanding and deepening the debate on what is happening in Europe. Proposals will be accepted that hold a dialogue with the topics mentioned above and that open new ways of discussing and understanding the place of religion in European societies. We welcome contributions from a variety of disciplines, including but not limited to: sociology of religion, history (exploring the evolution of secularization processes), philosophy of religion (with a particular emphasis on theoretical studies and understanding the fallacies of the secular age), political science (examining the evolution of state–church relations), and international relations (analyzing the role of religion in the European Union and its function as a tool for global action).

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editor, or to the Assistant Editor Sandee Pan (sandee.pan@mdpi.com) of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Jorge Botelho Moniz
Prof. Dr. Grace Davie
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Europe
• modernity
• secularization
• religion and politics