The Secular Transition
How and why the world is becoming less religious
Reporting on the research of David Voas and the many scholars (past and present) who have contributed to our understanding of secularization.
Resources
The aim of this site
The concept of the secular transition has its roots in the very old idea that modernization erodes religious belief and activity.
The papers provided here are links in a chain that extends both back (from Max Weber through Peter Berger, Bryan Wilson, Steve Bruce and others) and forwards to new work.
The goal is to provide an outline of this past and present research; the intellectual mapping is itself work in progress.
Originally presented at a conference in Exeter in March 2000 honouring David Martin and Bryan Wilson, this paper was ultimately published in 2007 as a chapter in a book (The Role of Religion in Modern Societies, edited by Detlef Pollack and Daniel VA Olson).
This article (published in the European Sociological Review in 2009) proposed a formal model of the transition from religious to secular dominance via an intermediate state labelled ‘fuzzy fidelity’.
A timeline of work on secularization
Key references and notes on the evolution of the concept, including a review of criticisms and alternative theories.
In preparation …
Work in progress on the secular transition
Sketches of ongoing research and problems to be investigated, focusing on my work but trying to give an overview of the field.
In preparation …
Current debates and miscellaneous commentary
Thoughts on current controversies related to secularization and links to relevant sites.
In preparation …
