Did Peter Berger change his mind about secularization?

Yes; an influential early proponent of secularization theory, Berger later argued that the world remains largely religious and that the theory needed substantial revision.

What does 'post-secular' mean?

It is a term used to describe contemporary societies in which religion remains or returns as a public force, challenging the assumption that modernization simply privatizes or eliminates it.

Secularization and Modern Religion

Secularization refers to the contested processes by which religion is said to lose social influence in modern societies, and to the wider debate over how religion has actually changed under modern conditions.

Definition

The study of theories and evidence concerning the changing place of religion in modern societies.

Scope

This topic examines classic secularization theory and its claim that modernization erodes religion, the empirical patterns of religious decline and persistence across regions, revisions such as the 'deprivatization' of religion and theories of the secular, and the idea of a 'post-secular' situation. The treatment is analytic and descriptive, surveying theories and evidence without taking a position for or against religion.

Core questions

Does modernization necessarily reduce the influence of religion?
How do patterns of belief and practice vary across modern societies?
What is meant by the privatization and deprivatization of religion?
Is the concept of the 'secular' itself a product of particular histories?

Key theories

Classic secularization theory: The thesis, associated with Peter Berger's earlier work and others, that modernization—through differentiation, rationalization, and pluralism—undermines the plausibility and social authority of religion.
The conditions of belief: Charles Taylor's reframing of secularization as a shift in the background conditions of belief, from a world where faith was unquestioned to one where it is contestable and optional.

History

Secularization theory dominated the sociology of religion through much of the twentieth century, drawing on Enlightenment expectations of religious decline; from the late twentieth century, persistent and resurgent religion led many scholars, including Berger himself, to revise or qualify the theory and to develop accounts of the secular and the post-secular.

Debates

Decline versus transformation of religion: Scholars dispute whether modern religious change is best described as decline, as relocation from public to private spheres, or as transformation into new forms, with evidence varying sharply by region.

Key figures

Charles Taylor
José Casanova
Peter L. Berger

Seminal works

taylor2007
casanova1994
berger1967

Frequently asked questions

Did Peter Berger change his mind about secularization?: Yes; an influential early proponent of secularization theory, Berger later argued that the world remains largely religious and that the theory needed substantial revision.
What does 'post-secular' mean?: It is a term used to describe contemporary societies in which religion remains or returns as a public force, challenging the assumption that modernization simply privatizes or eliminates it.