ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the conceptual space opened by religion opposing claims and probes their analytical purchase with regard to the relationships between state and religion and the changing forms of religious diversity in post-apartheid South Africa. In order to support these claims, the chapter describes the historical development of religious diversity and its public recognition and then discusses two major fields in which religious diversity plays out. First, focusing on the domain of education, the chapter explores practices and understandings of school prayers. Second, it addresses the relationships between religious communities and the state in both their organized and disorganized forms. In his book Public Religions in the Modern World, Casanova perceptively shows how the relationship between religion and modern public spheres and modern forms of religious diversity evolve in tandem. These observations clearly resonate with Beckford's critique of Casanova, as well as his notions of state regulation and religion as public utility.
