Secularity in socio-cultural context: the case of Denmark

Abstract

The article analyzes the meaning of the “secularity” in the socio-cultural context of Denmark, which is considered as one of the most secular nations in the world, while the Evangelical- Lutheran Church there has the status of the state Church. The special status of Folkekirke is* The research has been performed within the grant of Russian Science Foundation No. 17-18-01194 “Religious Majority/Minority in Public Space in Russia and Northern Europe: Historical-Cultural Analysis”.enshrined in the 1953 Constitution of Denmark, stipulating state guarantees for favorable conditions of its activities, as well as partial financing. At the same time, the Constitution proclaims freedom of religion. As a subject of research, such situation gives rise to many theoretical problems related primarily to clarify the meaning of the basic concepts of Religious Studies, and the specifics of their applicability to the socio-cultural situation of each particular country. In the framework of the theory of secularization, Denmark is usually viewed as the intermediate model between the British “established” church, and the French principle of läicité. The term “secularity” is considered in the light of contemporary academic discussions on the theory of secularization, multiple modernities, and multiple secularities; the latter implies the isochronal existence of different types of secularity, which are formed within particular cultural-historical traditions of the given country, and constantly change under the influence of emerging societal realities. The article presents a critical review of the most popular theoretical versions in the Western Religious Studies aimed at the explanation of the causes and nature of secularity in Denmark, as well as in other Northern European countries. The author concludes that the considered options, in principle, do not contradict, but complement each other, and prove the fact that adequate interpretation of any complex phenomenon should not be one-sided and stocked within a single subject area.