Secularism, Criticism, and Religious Studies Pedagogy

Abstract

Secularization, the idea that religion would gradually diminish over time, was once widely assumed to be true by scholars of religion, but the unexpected resurgence of religious traditions has called it into question. Related debates on the distinction between religion and the secular have destabilized religious studies further. What does the crisis of secularization and secularism mean for the religious studies classroom? This essay proposes a model of religious criticism in the wake of secularism. No longer simply claiming a "view from nowhere," students and instructors can (by observing standards of evidence, reason, and self-disclosure) combine criticism with learning. Drawn from aesthetic and ethical traditions of criticism, religious criticism can be practiced by "teaching the conflicts" and through the pedagogical models of Freire and hooks.

Simulating Secularization

“…What is more, none of these articles pertain to the theoretical issues that are paramount in any SOR course: issues like secularization. Instead, sociologists of religion, as well as political sociologists, social movements scholars, and instructors of other courses where secularization and its consequences are relevant topics, must look outside of sociology to find pedagogical strategies for discussing secularization in the classroom (e.g., Britt 2006; Shoemaker and Simpson 2014; Wellman and Richter 2009). What follows is a discussion of an activity that I implemented in my SOR class to improve my students’ understanding of one such theory: Peter Berger’s (1969) theory of secularization.…”

“The Deposed Queen”: A Reflection on Crises in Religious Studies1

“…In the 1990s, as cultural assumptions about the decline of religion and advance of secularism were crumbling, scholars of religion addressed pressing questions about religious trends in the modern world in both the classroom and their scholarship (see, e.g., Berger 1999. For a later reflection on the relevance of these topics for teaching, see Britt 2006). After the events of September 11, 2001, many scholars and nonscholars alike pointed to the necessity of studying religion.…”