Political Secularism, Religious Reform and International Relations

Dear Colleagues,

Secularism has evolved differently across regions, shaped by distinct historical trajectories. French Laïcité emerged from Enlightenment ideals and the radical anticlericalism of the 1789 Revolution, culminating in the 1905 law separating church and state. This model enforces a strict divide between religion and public life, reflecting centuries of struggle against clerical influence and a desire to safeguard republican identity. Turkish Kemalism, forged in the aftermath of the Ottoman Empire’s collapse, was spearheaded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk during the 1920s–1930s. It combined nationalism and modernization with state control over religion, institutionalized through reforms such as abolishing the caliphate and creating the Diyanet to regulate Islamic practice. While inspired by European secularism, Kemalism sought to construct a ‘modern Islam’ compatible with a secular republic. In contrast, Anglo-American liberal secularism developed through debates on religious toleration in seventeenth-century England, crystallized in John Locke’s advocacy for freedom of conscience. This tradition influenced the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment and British liberal thought, emphasizing pluralism and individual rights rather than coercive separation. Unlike the French and Turkish models, it prioritizes coexistence and minimal state interference in religious life. Arab secularism, Indian secular laws and other South Asian models were mediated by colonialism and various endeavours of religious reform.

Thus, secularism includes different theoretical and institutional models, thereby disclosing its pluralist and diverse characteristics.

This Special Issue investigates the evolving relationship between political secularism, religious reform, and international relations in a globalized context. As secular governance models continue to influence political systems worldwide, religious traditions are undergoing significant transformations, sometimes in alignment with secular ideals, and at other times, in resistance to them.

The Special Issue aims to explore how political secularism shapes religious institutions, beliefs, and practices, and how these changes, in turn, affect international diplomacy, transnational movements, and global policymaking. It seeks to understand the mutual influence between secular political frameworks and religious reform efforts, especially in regions where religion remains a central force in public life.

We invite contributions from scholars across disciplines—political science, religious studies, sociology, history, and international relations—that examine themes such as:

• The role of religion in foreign policy and diplomacy
• Comparative secularisms and their global implications
• Religious reform movements and their transnational impact
• The negotiation of secular and religious identities in governance

By bringing together diverse perspectives, this Special Issue will offer a nuanced understanding of how secular and religious forces interact on the international stage, and what these interactions mean for future global cooperation, conflict, and cultural exchange.

We request that, before submitting a manuscript, interested authors submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editor or to Rudy Miao (rudy.miao@mdpi.com). 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.

Prof. Dr. Youssef Choueiri
Guest Editor

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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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.

• enlightenment
• colonialism
• post-secularism
• liberal secularism
• Kemalism
• diversity
• pluralism