Why No Religious Politics? The Secularization of Poor Relief and Primary Education in Denmark and Sweden

Journal article

In many European democracies, religion was an important political cleavage throughout the twentieth century. But in Denmark and Sweden, religious differences have not been translated into political competition. Instead, class conflict has dominated. This article attempts to explain why. Our argument is that in the first decades of the twentieth century, the issue that mattered most for the politicization of religion elsewhere in Europe – the role of churches in the provision of poor relief and education – was already settled. The main reason was that in the nineteenth century, the secular state had captured the organizational infrastructure that churches used to provide these services.

Authors: Lindvall, J; Kaspersen, L

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Journal: European Journal of Sociology
• Volume: Vol. 49, 1
• Pages: 119-143
• Publication date: 2008-09-15