Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Taking Religious Pluralism Seriously. Arguing for an Institutional Turn. Introduction

  • Published:
Ethical Theory and Moral Practice Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Discussions of the relations between religions, society, politics, and the state in recent political philosophy are characterized, firstly, by a strong US American bias focusing on limitations of religious arguments in public debate. Even if the restriction or radical exclusion of religious reasons from public debate has recently been extensively criticized, secularist interpretations of liberal-democratic constitutions still prevail. Here it is argued that both strong secularism and weak or “second order secularism” are counterproductive for many reasons. Secondly, separationist interpretations of state-church relations are predominant, even if the severe “wall of separation” is criticized more often nowadays. Here it is argued that there are more and more interesting options than either separationism or accommodationism, that we should not exclusively focus at the constitutional relations between state and churches but address the full reciprocal relationship between society, culture, politics, nation, state and (organized) religions, and that we need more historical and comparative perspectives for the required institutionalist turn in political theory in order to overcome the obstacles inherent in predominant American political philosophy. The articles included in this volume are first, modest steps in this new direction.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alexander, L., Liberalism, Religion, and the Unity of Epistemology, San Diego Law Review 30 (1993), pp. 763–797.

    Google Scholar 

  • Archard, D., Political Disagreement, Legitimacy, and Civility, in B. v.d. Brink (ed.), Philosophical Explorations, IV(3) (2001) Special Issue: Civic Virtue and Pluralism, pp. 207–223.

  • Audi, R., The State, the Church, and the Citizen, in P. Weithman (ed.), Religion and Contemporary Liberalism. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1997, pp. 38–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bader, V.M., The Cultural Conditions of Trans-national Citizenship, Political Theory, 25(6) (December 1997), pp. 771–813.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bader, V.M., Dilemmas of ethnic affirmative action. Benign State-neutrality or Relational Ethnic Neutrality, Citizenship Studies 2(3) (1998), pp. 435–473.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bader, V.M., Religious Pluralism. Secularism or Priority for Democracy?, Political Theory, 27(5) (October 1999), pp. 597–633.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bader, V.M., How to Institutionalize Religious Pluralism? Conference Paper, Bremen, May 2000.

  • Bader, V.M., Problems and Prospects of Associative Democracy, in P. Hirst and V. Bader (eds.), Associative Democracy — the real third way?. Special Volume of Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy (CRISPP 4(1) (January 2001), pp. 31–70).

  • Bader, V.M., Cohesion, Unity and Stability in Modern Societies, in A. v. Harskamp and A. Musschenga (eds.), The Many Faces of Individualism. Leuven: Peeters, 2001a, pp. 107–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bader, V.M., (2002) Religious Diversity and Democratic Institutional Pluralism, Political Theory (forthcoming, summer 2003).

  • Bader, V.M., (2002a) Democratic Institutional Pluralism and Cultural Diversity, in Danielle Juteau and Chritiane Harzig (eds.), Life in Diversity. Berghan, 2003 (forthcoming).

  • Bader, V.M., (2002b) Ethnic and Religious State-Neutrality: Utopia or Myth?, in Sicakkan Hakan and Yngve Lithman (eds.), Modes of Belonging and Politics of Recognition. Berg, 2003, (forthcoming).

  • Bader, V.M., (2002c) Taking Pluralism Seriously. Arguing for an Institutional Turn in Political Philosophy, together with Ewald Engelen, Philosophy and Social Criticism, 2003, (forthcoming).

  • Bauböck, R., Transnational Citizenship. Aldershot: Avebury, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bauböck, R., Cherishing Diversity and Promoting Political Community, Ethnicities 1(1) (2001), pp. 109–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baxter, M.J., Catholicism and Liberalism, The Review of Politics 60(40) (Fall 2001), pp. 743–785.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bielefeld, H., Positional Paper. Religious Pluralism Workshop Amsterdam, June 29, 2001.

  • Brink, B. v.d., Politischer Liberalismus und ziviler Perfektionismus, Deutsche Zeitschrift für Philosophie 6/2002.

  • Carens, J., Two Conceptions of Fairness, Political Theory 25(6) (1997), pp. 814–820.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carens, J., Culture, Citizenship, and Community. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  • Casanova, J., Public Religions in the Modern World. Chicago/London: University of Chicago Press, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crouch, C., Social Change in Western Europe. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  • Demerath, N.J., and Williams, R.H., A Mythical Past and an Uncertain Future, in T. Robbins and R. Robertson (eds.), Church-State Relations. New Brunswick: Transaction Inc., 1987, pp. 77–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenach, E.J., The Next Religious Establishment. Lanham etc.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisenberg, A., Reconstructing Political Pluralism. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrara, A., Public Reason and the Normativity of the Reasonable, Deutsche Zeitschrift fuer Philosophie 6 (2000).

  • Fish, S., Mission Impossible, Columbia Law Review 97(8) (1997), pp. 2255–2333.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galston, W., Liberal Pluralism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grillo, R.D., Pluralism and the Politics of Difference. Oxford: Calendon Press, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenawalt, K., Private Consciences and Public Reasons. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenawalt, K., Five Questions about Religion Judges are Afraid to Ask, in N. Rosenblum (ed.), Obligations of Citizenship and Demands of Faith. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000 pp. 196–244.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gutmann, A., and Thompson, D., Democracy and Disagreement. Cambridge/London: Belknap Press of HUP, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  • Handy, R.T., A History of the Churches in the United States and Canada. Oxford: Clarendon, 1976.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobsohn, R.J., By the Light of Reason, in N. Rosenblum (ed.), Obligations of Citizenship and Demands of Faith. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000, pp. 294–320.

    Google Scholar 

  • Israel, J.I., The Dutch Republic. Oxford: Clarendon, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalyvas, S., The Rise of Christian Democracy in Europe. Ithaca etc.: Cornell University Press, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keane, J., Secularism? in D. Marquand and R. Nettler (eds.), Religion and Democracy. Oxford: Blackwell, 2000, pp. 5–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kymlicka, W., Multicultural Citizenship. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kymlicka, W., Politics in the Vernacular. Oxford University Press, 2001.

  • Laycock, D., Formal, Substantive, and Disaggregated Neutrality Toward Religion, DePaul Law Review 39 (1990) pp. 1001–1006.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marquand, D., and Nettler, R. (eds.), Religion and Democracy. Oxford: Blackwell, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  • McConnell, M., Accommodation of Religion, George Washington Law Review 60(3) (1992) pp. 685–742.

    Google Scholar 

  • McConnell, M., Believers as Equal Citizens, in N. Rosenblum (ed.), Obligations of Citizenship and Demands of Faith. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000, pp. 90–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, W.L., The First Liberty. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1985.

    Google Scholar 

  • Modood, T., Comment. Religious Pluralism Workshop. Amsterdam, June 29, 2001.

  • Monsma, S., and Soper, C., The Challenge of Pluralism. Church and State in Five Democracies. Lanham, New York, etc.: Rowman & Littlefield, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, A., Conscience and Community. Pennsylvania State University Press, 2001.

  • Neal, P., Liberalism and its Discontents. Houndsmill etc.: MacMillan, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parekh, B., Religion in Public Life, PSI (1996) pp. 16–23.

  • Parekh, B., Rethinking Multiculturalism. Houndsmill etc.: MacMillan, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parekh, B., Comment Religious Pluralism Workshop. Amsterdam, June 29, 2001.

  • Phillips, A., in T. Modmood (ed.), In Defense of Secularism. PSI (1996) pp. 23–30.

  • PSI: Modood, T. (ed.), Church, State, and Religious Minorities. London, 1996.

  • Rath, J., Penninx, R., Groenendijk, K., and Meijer, A., Nederland en zijn Islam. Amsterdam, Spinhuis, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robbers, G. (ed.), Staat und Kirche in der Europäischen Union. Baden-Baden: Nomos, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robbers, G. (ed.), Church Autonomy. Frankfurt etc.: Peter Lang, 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robbins, T., and Robertson, R. (eds.), Church-State Relations. New Brunswick etc.: Transaction Inc., 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, R., General Considerations in the Study of Contemporary Church-State Relationships, in T. Robbins and R. Robertson (eds.), Church-State Relations. New Brunswick: Transaction Inc., 1987, pp. 5–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, R., Church-State Relations in Comparative Perspective, in T. Robbins and R. Robertson (eds.), Church-State Relations. New Brunswick: Transaction Inc., 1987a, pp. 153–160.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rooden, P.v., Religieuze Regimes. Amsterdam: Bakker, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenblum, N., Membership and Morals. Princeton etc.: Princeton University Press, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenblum, N. (ed.), Introduction: Pluralism, Integralism, and Political Theories of Religious Accommodation, in Obligations of Citizenship and Demands of Faith. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000, pp. 3–31.

  • Rosenblum, N. (ed.), Obligations of Citizenship and Demands of Faith. Princeton etc.: Princeton University Press, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  • Selznick, P., The Moral Commonwealth. University of California Press, 1992.

  • Shah, T.S., Making the Christian World Safe for Liberalism: From Grotius to Rawls, in D. Marquand and R. Nettler (eds.), Religion and Democracy. Oxford: Blackwell, 2000, pp. 121–139.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, S.D., Foreordained Failure. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spinner-Halev, J., Surviving Diversity. Baltimore etc.: John Hopkins University Press, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thieman, R.F., Religion in public life. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomasi, J., Liberalism Beyond Justice. Princeton, Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tully, J., Strange Multiplicity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tully, J., The Agonic Freedom of Citizens, Economy and Society 28(2) (May 1999), pp. 161–182.

    Google Scholar 

  • Unger, R.M., Critical Legal Studies Movement. Cambridge Mass: Harvard University Press, 1983.

    Google Scholar 

  • Unger, R.M., What Should Legal Analysis Become. London: Verso, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valadez, J., Deliberative Democracy, Political Legitimacy, and Selfdetermination in Multicultural Societies. Boulder: Westview, 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waldron, J., Religious Contributions in Public Deliberation, San Diego Law Review 30 (1993), pp. 817–848.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walzer, M., On Toleration. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walzer, M., Just and Unjust Wars, 3rd Ed. New York: Basic Books, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warren, M., Democracy and Association. Princeton, Oxford: Princeton University Press, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weinstock, D., Group Rights: Refraiming the Debate. Paper, Minorities Within Minorities. Lincoln, Nebraska 2002.

  • Williams, M., Voice, Trust, and Memory. New Haven etc.: Yale University Press, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, M., The Uneasy Alliance of Group Representation and Deliberative Democracy, in W. Kymlicka and Norman (eds.), Citizenship in Diverse Societies. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000, pp. 124–153.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolterstorff, N., Why We Would Reject what Liberalism Tells Us etc.? in P. Weithman (ed.), Religion and Contemporary Liberalism. Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1997, pp. 162–181.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Humantities, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Doelenstraat 15, 1012, CP, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Veit Bader

Authors
  1. Veit Bader
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bader, V. Taking Religious Pluralism Seriously. Arguing for an Institutional Turn. Introduction. Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 6, 3–22 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023242318028

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023242318028

Search

Navigation