ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the theoretical and methodological aspects of the author's research. The research deals with religion-related controversies: it argues that culture wars are a socio-political construction related to the political dynamics of issue framing, publicization, and politicization in a polarized perspective. The chapter focuses on the possible concerns that the presence of religion raises in the political sphere, namely in relation to the compatibility between religion and democracy, the issue of cultural pluralism, and the increase of religion-related issues in the public debate. In the political sphere, secularism means that the State and the Churches are separated, and that all citizens have the right to exercise their religious freedom. Political philosophy widely and deeply addressed the forms in which democracy may accommodate pluralism. The chapter focuses on the interconnections between migration and religion, to outline the categories of tolerance and multiculturalism, and the role of extremism in dealing with the religion of the others.
