Suchergebnisse

The term "secularization," when its referent is social institutions and value‐norm complexes, is viewed as an instance of differentiation. However, the process of differentiation has both structural and functional components. Confusion in the debate over the nature and extent of secularization in American society arises from the fact that there is disagreement over the functions of religion in a differentiated social setting. A typology of meanings of "secularization" is developed by focusing on this functional component of the differentiation process. This typology, combined with a specification of the various meanings of "religion," is utilized to pinpoint specific areas of disagreement in the debate over secularization. Suggestions are made on ways to empirically resolve the controversy.