Religious Landscapes In Contemporary Spain

A historically informed and nuanced look at the growing religious diversity of contemporary Spain. Contemporary Spain is no longer exclusively identified with Catholicism. This book sets out to understand the social dynamics of twenty-first-century Spain through the perspective of religion and religious pluralism in the country, addressing both the recent history and contemporary landscape of secularism, Christianity, and Islam in Spain. The book is divided into three parts. The first part analyzes Spanish secularization during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It pays particular attention to the process of secularization during the Second Republic and to the "quiet" secularization of society that began under Franco's regime. The second part addresses changes that have taken place within Catholicism and the reaction of the Protestant minority to increasingly rapid shifts in social mores. The final part addresses questions such as the history of Islam in Spain's colonial management, how Islam is viewed by other religions, the impact of the March 11, 2004 attacks, and Islamophobic discourse in Spain. Religious Landscapes in Contemporary Spain is essential reading for scholars and students in history and contemporary affairs.

"Spain is no longer exclusively identified with Catholicism. This book sets out to understand the social dynamics of twenty-first century Spain through the perspective of religion and religious pluralism. Divided into three parts, Part I, Secularization in Spain, frames the analysis of this secularization process throughout the twentieth century and beyond, with particular attention to the process during the Second Republic and the quiet secularization of society that began under Franco's regime. Part II, Religious Change in Spain, establishes the broad framework of the process, addressing the changes that have taken place within Catholicism and the reaction of the Protestant minority as social mores became increasingly fast moving. Part III, Islam in Spain, addresses both its history (including colonial management) and current dynamics (how Islam is viewed by other religions; the impact of the March 11, 2004, attacks; and Islamophobic discourse). Religious Landscapes in Contemporary Spain is essential reading for scholars and students in History and Contemporary Affairs"-- Back cover.

Spain is no longer exclusively identified with Catholicism. This book sets out to understand the social dynamics of twenty-first century Spain through the perspective of religion and religious pluralism. Divided into three parts, Part I, Secularization in Spain, frames the analysis of this secularization process throughout the twentieth century and beyond, with particular attention to the process during the Second Republic and the quiet secularization of society that began under Franco's regime. Part II, Religious Change in Spain, establishes the broad framework of the process, addressing the changes that have taken place within Catholicism and the reaction of the Protestant minority as social mores became increasingly fast moving. Part III, Islam in Spain, addresses both its history (including colonial management) and current dynamics (how Islam is viewed by other religions; the impact of the March 11, 2004, attacks; and Islamophobic discourse). Religious Landscapes in Contemporary Spain is essential reading for scholars and students in History and Contemporary Affairs.

This handbook offers comprehensive coverage of the history of Spain, exploring key themes and events in four broad but not necessarily rigid temporal categories: medieval, early modern, nineteenth century and twentieth century. The volume situates Spanish history firmly within the broader patterns unfolding across the European continent, emphasizing Spain’s active participation in the processes that determined the development of modern European society. With chapters from leading scholars from both Spanish and international universities, the book helps fill long-standing gaps in European history. This handbook provides original contributions on broad themes in Spanish history which are also accessible syntheses of the most recent scholarship. Making the latest research in Spanish history more widely accessible to an international audience, The Routledge Handbook of Spanish History is an essential reference point for students and scholars of Spain, as well as those working in comparative European history.

This volume explores the conceptualization and construction of sacred space in a wide variety of faith traditions: Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and the religions of Japan. It deploys the notion of "layered landscapes" in order to trace the accretions of praxis and belief, the tensions between old and new devotional patterns, and the imposition of new religious ideas and behaviors on pre-existing religious landscapes in a series of carefully chosen locales: Cuzco, Edo, Geneva, Granada, Herat, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Kanchipuram, Paris, Philadelphia, Prague, and Rome. Some chapters hone in on the process of imposing novel religious beliefs, while others focus on how vestiges of displaced faiths endured. The intersection of sacred landscapes with political power, the world of ritual, and the expression of broader cultural and social identity are also examined. Crucially, the volume reveals that the creation of sacred space frequently involved more than religious buildings and was a work of historical imagination and textual expression. While a book of contrasts as much as comparisons, the volume demonstrates that vital questions about the location of the sacred and its reification in the landscape were posed by religious believers across the early-modern world.

In recent years, the Southern borders of Europe have become landmarks for the mediatic and academic verve regarding the migration and diasporas towards and beyond ‘Schengen Europe’. In these debates, religion is acknowledged as playing a central role in the recognition of major societal changes in the continent, being object of political concern and attention: from the recognition of plural forms of Christianity to the debates on a ‘European Islam’. Yet, in this respect, what goes on around the borders of Portugal, Spain, Italy or Greece is still largely uncharted and un-debated. With the contribution of renowned anthropologists, sociologists and religious studies scholars, this book critically presents and discusses case studies on the sites and politics of religious diversity in Southern Europe, including the impact of migrant religiosity in national and EU politics. Contributors include: Anna Fedele, Barbara Bertolani, Clara Saraiva, Cristina Sanchez-Carretero, Ester Gallo, Eugenia Roussou, Fabio Peroco, Inam Leghari, José Mapril, Katerine Seraidari, Maria Del Mar Griera, Manuela Canton Delgado, Nora Repo, Ramon Sarró, Ruy Blanes, Sandra Santos, Silvia Sai, Trine-Staunig Willert, and Virtudes Tellez Delgado.

This book explores how modernity, the urban, and the sacred overlap in fundamental ways in contemporary Spain. Urban spaces have traditionally been seen as the original sites of modernity, history, progress, and a Weberian systematic disenchantment of the world, while the sacred has been linked to the natural, the rural, mythical past origins, and exemption from historical change. This collection problematizes such clear-cut distinctions as overlaps between the modern urban and the sacred in Spanish culture are explored throughout the volume. Placed in the periphery of Europe, Spain has had a complex relationship with the concept of modernity and commonly understood processes of modernization and secularization, thus offering a unique case-study of the interaction between the modern and the sacred in the city.