Secularism, Religion, and Democracy in Southeast Asia

The re-emergence of religions world-wide has led scholars in challenging the narrative of the modern state and its progress from the religious to the secular domains. Yet many initiatives and scholarly works have failed to assess the rise of religion in the context of democratic processes. In trying to map this terrain and spell out the close links between religion, secularism and democracy, this volume examines the developments and challenges of secularism in select countries of Southeast Asia. The fundamental tenets of liberal democracies - rule of law, popular sovereignty, constitutionalism - undergo several configurations in the context of religious pluralism in this region.