Over the last two centuries, a general process of secularization marked the West and beyond. This process produced a certain separation between the State and religion, pushing the latter into a private or “social” sphere, distinct from public affairs.

CALL FOR PAPERS

Conference on : Migration, religion and secularism - a comparative approach (Europe and North America)
Paris, June 17 – 18, 2005
University of Paris 1 – Sorbonne and Ecole Normale Supérieure The University of Paris 1 – Sorbonne and the Ecole Normale Supérieure are presently pursuing a comparative study on the impact of ‘new’ migration on the ‘old’ models and practices of seculari-zation in Europe and North America.

The project will end with a conference in Paris, on June 17 – 18, 2005 on the Centennial of the French Law of 1905 instituting the separation of the Church and State.

Over the last two centuries, a general process of secularization marked the West and beyond. This process produced a certain separation between the State and religion, pushing the latter into a private or “social” sphere, distinct from public affairs. Yet the principle of separation took on different forms: the “separation of the Church and State” in France, German “secularization,” American “civil religion,” which are strongly embedded in nations’ identities. Today, these forms are increasingly challenged, in their daily practices if not in their theoretical foundations, by other models of religious prac-tices and conduct. What are those models and how do they differ in the way they set up the relationship between the State, religious groups and the individual? How do national “models” and practices interact, when the need arises, with the religious or cultural claims of new citizens? These questions are not only rele-vant for the engagement with the large Muslim communities that have developed in almost all western countries, but also for new Catholic populations in the United States, and Jews and Buddhists in Europe. In addition to an analysis of the current situation, the study of past practices seems important. For example, a re-examination of the place given to Jewish and Christian immigrants before the Second World War - in Europe and in North America – in order to compare their cases to the contemporary situation of “Latinos” in the United States and Russian Jews in Germany. How did ‘old’ countries of immigration manage to integrate new religions and identities in the past? What can be learned from the implementation of secularization models in former colonies, for example, Algeria in the case of France? Finally, an investigation into the different traditions and practices concerning the relationship of State and religion in the migrants’ home countries (Morocco, Turkey, Mexico, or Senegal for example) is relevant.

The conference is organized by Jean-Claude Monod (CNRS-Ecole Normale Supérieure) and Patrick Weil (CNRS-University of Paris 1-Sorbonne) with Nilufer Gole (EHESS), Baptiste Coulmont (University of Paris 8) and Romain Garbaye (University of Paris 4). It will be a workshop format, with papers distributed in advance. Sessions will begin with brief presentations by the papers’ authors and will focus on discussion. A selection of papers from each panel will also be prepared for publication. For the conference, we invite paper proposals in English or French from scholars of all disciplines. Proposals should include a title, 1-2 page description of the proposed paper, and a curriculum vitae. We request one printed copy of all materials to be sent to one of the postal addresses below and an email attachment containing your materials to the following email address:
secularization@hotmail.com . The deadline for the material is December 1, 2004. Julian von Fumetti, assistant scientifique
e-mail: secularization@hotmail.com
tel: (33) (0) 1 44 78 33 68