Secular Conversions: Political Institutions and Religious Education in the United States and Australia, 1800-2000 (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781107503236)

Why does secularization proceed differently in otherwise similar countries? Secular Conversions demonstrates that the institutional structure of the state is a key factor shaping the course of secularization. Drawing upon detailed historical analysis of religious education policy in the United States and Australia, Damon Mayrl details how administrative structures, legal procedures, and electoral systems have shaped political opportunities and even helped create constituencies for secular policies. In so doing, he also shows how a decentralized, readily accessible American state acts as an engine for religious conflict, encouraging religious differences to spill into law and politics at every turn. This book provides a vivid picture of how political conflicts interacted with the state over the long span of American and Australian history to shape religion's role in public life. Ultimately, it reveals that taken-for-granted political structures have powerfully shaped the fate of religion in modern societies.

Author: Damon Mayrl
ISBN-10: 110750323X
ISBN-13: 9781107503236
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 08/30/2016
Pages: 298
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.80d