Secularization Revisited ― Teaching of Religion and the State of Denmark 1721-2006

?The book argues that a significant reason for the problems of the secularization theories are to be found in the general sociological conceptual framework and particularly in sociology's Durkheimian legacy. The theories of secularization have neglected to take the importance of state agency on the macro-level and the fact that modern societies consist of a dynamic field of religions instead of just one religion as it was the case in Emile Durkheim's thinking. The book thus presents the only attempt to find the conceptual blind spots in the theories of secularization and proposes a new relational concept of religion. In addition to the conceptual analysis and the theoretical parts, the book presents the only long historical sociological case-study of the teaching of religion of a European state. The author analyses the political decision-making process from 1700 until today. In contrast to the overwhelming bulk of sociological studies of secularization, the book does not assume that the existence of an authentic religion or a Sacred Canopy in early modernity. Rather, the analysis shows that the Danish state has been deeply concerned with the religion of its inhabitants and that it has tried to influence the religion of its inhabitants according to its vital interests. In the Danish case this influence is not limited to the absolutistic period but has re-emerged especially after the Nine-Eleven 2001, where the teaching of religion in Danish public schools have been used in an attempt to avoid anti-democratic fundamentalism. Consequently, state politics of religion should throughout the period be seen as closely connected to the vital interests of the state. The book is intended for students and scholars of religions and history (as well as the general public).