The origins of tolerant and repressive secularism: an analysis of the United States and France in comparative perspectives

Thesis

In the field of political science, the term “secularism” is commonly understood as a statecraft doctrine that guarantees the separation between religion and state. A careful examination of history discloses that the United States and France are the two founding nations of this principle. Notwithstanding their common foundation of secularism, these two countries exhibit substantive variation in the implementation of this constitutional tenet — notably, in the extent to which they tolerate reli...

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Authors: Atsü, E

• Type of award: MPhil
• Level of award: Masters
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: Turkey; path dependence; types of secularism; state–religion relations; political compromise; secularism; France; political victory; critical junctures; political conflict; periods of secular state-building; Senegal; the United States
• Subjects: Secularism--Turkey; Secularism--Senegal; Secularism; Secularism--France; Secularism--United States