Le minoranze religiose in Europa: costruire il legame sociale in uno spazio post-secolare

The difficult construction of a European public space finds itself confronting the complex problems related to, on the one hand, an embedded secularization in the European society and, on the other hand, the revival of a religious phenomenon driven by minority groups that claim more recognition and public role as communities of believers. From this tension the necessity of dialogue arises as a mean to create a platform of common values for a peaceful coexistence. The post-secular perspective of this article suggests the purpose of setting aside the religious dimension as a source of group identity, favouring an emphasis over religiousness as a universal longing for transcending and as a social link. In the European public space there are conditions and presuppositions for thinking in terms of complexity and critical auto-reflexivity, for moving with creativity and imagination towards a common future. There is a need of looking at the history and evolution of cultures (religion, traditions, lifestyles) not only in their identity genesis, but also as culturally open contexts in which human practices organize themselves into languages, images, meaning attributions and plural symbols that could contrast each other, but can also meet and talk together with mutual respect.

Maria Luisa Maniscalco, Le minoranze religiose in Europa: costruire il legame sociale in uno spazio post-secolare in "CITTADINANZA EUROPEA (LA)" 1,2/2010, pp 11-31, DOI: 10.3280/CEU2010-001002