Title: The Limits of Contemporary Sociology: Secularisation, Sacralisation and the Resurgence of Religion in the Public Realm
1The Limits of Contemporary Sociology
Secularisation, Sacralisation and the Resurgence
of Religion in the Public Realm
- John Eade
- CRONEM/Surrey
- and Roehampton Universities
2No Universal Model?
- European or American exceptionalism
- No universal model based on a regional experience
- Different secularising processes reflecting
historical particularities and global/local
interactions
3England and Secularism Between the European and
American Poles?
- Europe religion controlled by the state so that
newcomers are obliged to fit within this
structure (Muslim representation in France and
Belgium, the Dutch and German pillar system
4England and Secularism Between the European and
American Poles?
- In the USA the states permissive tradition
encourages religious pluralism and does not
control or centralise religious representation - In England the established Church holds a
privileged position but other Christian groups
and non-Christian newcomers enjoy a relatively
high degree of freedom from state control
5English Exceptionalism Controlling
Non-Christian Groupsin Public Space
- Before The Satanic Verses saga the state followed
the English mixed economy of preserving the
privileged position of the Church of England and
allowing non-Christian groups considerable
freedom - This was accompanied by the resurgence of
religious consciousness among minority groups and
their increasing visibility
6The 1990s onwards Moving towards the European
Model?
- Global and local events such as the first Gulf
war, 9/11, 7/7 and engagements in Iraq and
Afghanistan - Effect has been to increase state surveillance,
encouragement of assimilation, hierarchical
organisation, engagement with a secular majority
and closing the gap with Europe
7Resistance to StateSecularising Pressure
Sacralising Public Space
- The momentum of sacralising local space and
asserting a public presence by non-Christian
groups has not slowed - Nor have the attempts by their religious leaders
to develop a moral order free from western
secular corruption diminished
8From Private to Public Space The Sacralisation
of Mainstream Urban Space
- 1960s and 1970s use of private accommodation by
non-Christians - 1980s onwards taking over mainstream public
secular and religious buildings - Purifying religion from syncretic cultural
traditions - Sustaining or restoring moral order in a corrupt
secular West
9Four Case Studies from Two Cronem Projects Three
Different Mosques in Londons East End
- Transnational migration and minority ethnic
groups in Londons dark, exotic east - Doing dawah among Muslim settlers the Markazi
mosque on Christian Street - Going public making a grand statement for the
Olympics
10Brick Lane Mosque, E. London
11East London Mosque
12East London Mosque
13West Ham Mosque
14West Ham Mosque
15Tabligh Jamaat and London Olympics
16Tamil Hindus in London East End
- Migrant workers, refugees and asylum seekers from
Sri Lanka - Tamil settlers from India
- Moving from a pub to a temple
- Creating moral order the circulation of priestly
experts
17East Ham Temple, E. London
18Neasden Temple, W. London
19Kimbanguist Christiansin N. London
- French-speaking refugees and asylum seekers from
the DRC - Sacralising space external anonymity and
internal elaboration - Sacred centres and peripheries London, Brussels,
Paris and the Congolese temple
20The Polish Catholic Mission
- Old Poles and new Poles
- Preserving the faith pilgrimage to a Marian
shrine in the Kent countryside - Sustaining moral order in a decadent secular
west transnational migrants and a historic
mission