ABSTRACT
Adominant narrative in the West, especially northern Europe, has been that secularization is the norm for all ‘developed’ nations. As other countries adopt these ways of democracy, technology and consumerism, it had been confidently assumed, at least until recently, that they, too, would become enlightened by instrumental rationality and utilitarian pragmatism and shake off their beliefs in what is often pejoratively referred to as mere superstition and fairytales. It is clear today that this view was misguided.
