ABSTRACT
Religion has left its previously assigned place in the private sphere both in Europe and in many other parts of the world, becoming politically active in various ways and with assorted outcomes. This necessarily involves a remodelling and reassumption of our understanding of the public roles of religious actors. Until recently, theories of secularisation had long condemned religious actors in both Western and non-Western countries to social and political marginalisation. Secularisation theory maintained that as countries modernised, religion would lose its public centrality. But because this did not happen, there is now a need for a rethink about how we think of the public role of religion. This chapter is concerned with this issue, in relation to democratisation, democracy and civil liberties.
