Religion is becoming increasingly important to the study of political science and to re-examine key concepts, such as democracy, securitization, foreign policy analysis, and international relations. The secularization of Europe is often understood according to the concept of ‘multiple modernities’—the idea that there may be several roads to modernity, which do not all mean the eradication of religion. This framework provides support for the view that different traditions, societies and groups can come to terms with the components of modernity (capitalism, democracy, human rights, science and reason) while keeping in touch with their religious background, faith and practice. Contributors examine the interaction between EU-integration processes and Western European countries, such as Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Austria, Scandinavia, Italy, and the UK, and shine fresh light on the economic and cultural contexts brought about by relationships between politics and religion, including immigrant religions and new religious movements. This volume combines theoretical perspectives from political sociology and international relations to consider the role of religion as a source of power, identity and ethics in institutions and societies. Politics of Religion in Western Europe will be of interest to scholars of politics, religion, the European Union and political sociology.

Religion is becoming increasingly important to the study of political science and to re-examine key concepts, such as democracy, securitization, foreign policy analysis, and international relations. The secularization of Europe is often understood according to the concept of ‘multiple modernities’—the idea that there may be several roads to modernity, which do not all mean the eradication of religion. This framework provides support for the view that different traditions, societies and groups can come to terms with the components of modernity (capitalism, democracy, human rights, science and reason) while keeping in touch with their religious background, faith and practice. Contributors examine the interaction between EU-integration processes and Western European countries, such as Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Austria, Scandinavia, Italy, and the UK, and shine fresh light on the economic and cultural contexts brought about by relationships between politics and religion, including immigrant religions and new religious movements. This volume combines theoretical perspectives from political sociology and international relations to consider the role of religion as a source of power, identity and ethics in institutions and societies. Politics of Religion in Western Europe will be of interest to scholars of politics, religion, the European Union and political sociology.

Religion is becoming increasingly important to the study of political science and to re-examine key concepts, such as democracy, securitization, foreign policy analysis, and international relations. The secularization of Europe is often understood according to the concept of 'multiple modernities'-the idea that there may be several roads to modernity, which do not all mean the eradication of religion. This framework provides support for the view that different traditions, societies and groups can come to terms with the components of modernity (capitalism, democracy, human rights, science and reason) while keeping in touch with their religious background, faith and practice. Contributors examine the interaction between EU-integration processes and Western European countries, such as Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Austria, Scandinavia, Italy, and the UK, and shine fresh light on the economic and cultural contexts brought about by relationships between politics and religion, including immigrant religions and new religious movements. This volume combines theoretical perspectives from political sociology and international relations to consider the role of religion as a source of power, identity and ethics in institutions and societies. Politics of Religion in Western Europe will be of interest to scholars of politics, religion, the European Union and political sociology.

Examining the developments in the political and religious landscape of Western Europe between the tenth and thirteenth centuries, Power and Faith explores the origins of dominant nation Sates and religious institutions in the West emerged out of the fractured and fragmented post-Carolingian world. As a foundational text for those new to the period, the book offers a clear chronological framework for understanding and analysing the emerging polities of Western Europe and an examination of the influence of the Papacy and the Crusades across Christian life and culture. Mixed with careful consideration of major social and economic themes including urbanisation, rural revolution, and the role of women in politics, religion, and society, the book gives a uniquely comprehensive overview of political and religious developments in Western Europe during a neglected yet fundamentally significant period. The book is divided into six parts, part one sets out the scope and aims of the book and discusses the sources used. Parts two and six provide overviews of the political and religious states of affairs in Europe at the start and end of the period respectively. Framed by these sections, the book is divided into three chronologically-ordered parts each containing three chapters, the first offers a brief account of the main historiography of the period concerned, the second provides a thorough account and analysis of the main political developments across Europe during it and the third explores the main religious changes. Power and Faith is an essential introductory guide for students and researchers interested in politics, religion, and society in Western Europe during the middle ages.

Why do some countries have 'Culture Wars' over morality issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage while other countries hardly experience any conflict? This book argues that morality issues only generate major conflicts in political systems with a significant conflict between religious and secular parties.

First published in 1982, Religion in West European Politics explores the possibilities for new politics following the gradual unravelling of the old ties between religion and conservatism that had largely characterised the politics of religion in Western Europe in the two centuries following the French Revolution. Together, the essays in this volume assess the causes of the simultaneous decline in traditional forms of religious practice and expansion of Left political attitudes and behaviour, moving away from simplified notions that these changes can be attributed just to processes such as modernisation or industrialisation. In doing so, the book raises questions about the effects that the detachment of religion from its traditional moorings may have on politics in Western European states, and the impact it may have on the socialisation of future generations.

In Western Europe, populist radical right parties are calling for a return to Christian or Judeo-Christian values and identity. The growing electoral success of many of these parties may suggest that, after decades of secularisation, Western Europeans are returning to religion. Yet these parties do not tell their supporters to go to church, believe in God, or practise traditional Christian values. Instead, they claim that their respective national identities and cultures are the product of a Christian or Judeo-Christian tradition which either encompasses-or has produced-secular modernity. This book poses the question: if Western European politics is secular, why has religious identity become a core element of populist radical right discourse? To answer this question, Morieson examines the discursive use of religion by two of the most powerful and influential populist radical right parties: The French National Front and the Dutch Party for Freedom. Based on this examination, he argues that the populist radical right has capitalised on a cultural shift engendered by the increasing visibility of Islam in Europe. Western Europeans' encounter with Islam has revealed the non-universal nature of Western European secularism to Europeans, and demonstrated the secularisation of Christianity into Western European 'culture.' This, in turn, has allowed secular French and Dutch citizens to identify themselves-as well as their nation and, ultimately, Western civilisation-as Christian or Judeo-Christian. Seizing on this cultural shift, the author contends that the National Front and Party for Freedom have built successful and similar brands of reactionary politics based on the notion that contemporary secularism is a product of Europe's Christian heritage and values, and that therefore Muslim immigration is an existential threat to the core values of European politics, including the differentiation of politics and religion, and of church and state. 'Religion and the Populist Radical Right: Secular Christianism and Populism in Western Europe' will be of interest to scholars and researchers working on the intersections of Political Science, Sociology, and Religion. It will also appeal to the general audience interested in the relationship between populism in Western Europe and religious identity as it is written in an accessible style.