Patterns of Secularization

Daphne Halikiopoulou is Fellow in Comparative Politics at the London School of Economics, UK

• Contents: Introduction; Part I Theoretical and Historical Considerations: National identity and the secularization debate; The origins and consolidation of 'cultural defence' in Greece and the Republic of Ireland. Part II Church, State and Nation: Church and state: nationalist legitimisation versus 'moral monopoly'; Church and nation: external threat perceptions, national identity and religion. Part III Portrayals of the Nation in State and Church Discourse: State discourse and the redefinition of national identity in the Greek and Irish educational systems; Church discourse and nationalist mobilization. Conclusion: Pattern of secularization; Appendix; Bibliography; Index.

'Approaching the problem of the different patterns of religion and secularization in Greece and Ireland with a nice sense of specific cultural differences and the historical sources of varied outcomes Daphne Halikiopoulou extends and deepens our understanding of distinctive patterns of secularization in the far West of Europe and the far South-East. The book is attractive and persuasive reading: A major contribution to the field.' David Martin, London School of Economics, UK and Fellow of the British Academy 'Catholicism was a bastion of Irishness under the British. Orthodoxy underpinned Greek identity in Ottoman times. Today the Greeks repay their Church by attending regularly, but in Ireland it is in free fall. Why? Halikiopoulou’s fascinating, solidly-researched story provides a convincing answer. In so doing, it is the first to explain why some nationalistic religions secularize and others do not.' Eric Kaufmann, Birkbeck College, University of London, UK 'In this important study, Daphne Halikiopoulou shows how similar the modern Greek and Irish nation-states are in having religious foundation, and also how different. Making a significant contribution to secularisation theories, she convincingly explains why Greece is experiencing an Orthodox revival, whereas in Ireland the Catholic Church is in headlong decline. Incisively written, this will interest scholars of nationalism as much as sociologists of religion.' John Hutchinson, London School of Economics, UK ’This will cause some readers to speculate if and how national identity shifts to and from religion. This study is useful for students of religion and for those interested in European modernity and issues of religious nationalism.’ Journal of Church and State 'This monograph is a valuable contribution to the emerging literature on secularization in Western society that attempts to adduce empirical evidence to build a convincing picture of religious change, rather than simply theorizing the ine