Secularization and Study of Religion at North American Universities

This essay examines how the field of religious studies has developed in tandem with secularization and related social and cultural influences. In North America, there has been a symbiotic relationship between secularization and religious studies. This frequently misunderstood area of academic study has experienced rapid growth in the past fifty years. However, it has not convincingly established clear and consistent disciplinary norms. Reflections on relations with theology, the role of comparison, external threats, internal tensions, and regional and institutional variation illustrate a lack of disciplinary unanimity with regard to theory, method, and objectives. Nevertheless, religious studies has survived and there are promising signs of its ongoing vitality and maturation including thoughtful engagement with disciplinary considerations.