Moving Beyond Revision:  From the Secularism of Taylor to the Reconstruction of Asad

Secularism is often understood as the separation between church and state. However, this nar-row definition fails to capture the broader complexities, implications, and contested nature of secularism. The term is relatively recent to the Western political vocabulary. It only began to emerge in the nineteenth century among English freethinkers (Asad 2003, 23). This historical and geographic origin already indicates limitations in applying secularism universally and neu-trally. Moreover, in some societies, like Muslim societies, a clear-cut separation between reli-gion and state is foreign (Roy 2007, ix). Despite these challenges, a widespread consensus re-mains that modern, pluralistic democratic societies must be secular to ensure neutrality and equality among diverse religious and non-religious groups (Taylor 2014, 59). My analysis of secularism critically engages with the influential theories proposed by Charles Taylor and Talal Asad. Even though both Taylor and Asad critique the...Show moreSecularism is often understood as the separation between church and state. However, this nar-row definition fails to capture the broader complexities, implications, and contested nature of secularism. The term is relatively recent to the Western political vocabulary. It only began to emerge in the nineteenth century among English freethinkers (Asad 2003, 23). This historical and geographic origin already indicates limitations in applying secularism universally and neu-trally. Moreover, in some societies, like Muslim societies, a clear-cut separation between reli-gion and state is foreign (Roy 2007, ix). Despite these challenges, a widespread consensus re-mains that modern, pluralistic democratic societies must be secular to ensure neutrality and equality among diverse religious and non-religious groups (Taylor 2014, 59). My analysis of secularism critically engages with the influential theories proposed by Charles Taylor and Talal Asad. Even though both Taylor and Asad critique the classical secu-larisation thesis, they both do this in a fundamentally different way. Taylor offers a revisionist historical-philosophical interpretation of secularism, challenging traditional definitions and suggesting new frameworks for understanding how secularism structures contemporary socie-ties. However, despite Taylor’s significant contributions, his arguments remain deeply embed-ded within a Western-centric understanding of modernity. This leads to the marginalisation of alternative, non-Western conceptions and practices of secularism. Addressing this gap, my work will extend beyond Taylor’s revision by incorporating Asad’s reconstructive approach. Using Asad's ‘shadow approach’, I will analyse secularism by uncovering its underlying as-sumptions, power relations, and hidden ideological dimensions.Show less

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Moving Beyond Revision: From the Secularism of Taylor to the Reconstruction of Asad