Reconsidering Secularization Theory in International Politics

Abstract

Secularization theory holds that religion's impact on public and political life decreases with society's modernization. The widespread return of religion, however, calls into question this idea and forces researchers to reevaluate its presumptions and consequences. The conceptual analysis of secularization, the origins of secularism in international relations, the approach taken by theories of international relations to secularization, the criticisms leveled against secularization theory in the literature, and the applicability of secularization theory in modern global politics are the main topics covered by this study. This article argues that the most important shortcomings of secularization theory is that it is too Western-centric due to its origins in Western Enlightenment thought and that it is insufficient to explain the increasing number of non-state religious actors and transnational religious networks due to globalization. It is suggested that even though secularization theory offers valuable information about the modernizing process and the separation of governmental and religious authority, there is a need to revise and expand the theory to address the emergence of religiously oriented politics.