The Contemporary Debate on Secularization and Its Cross‐National Variation: A Systematization Through Topic Modeling.
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| Title: | The Contemporary Debate on Secularization and Its Cross‐National Variation: A Systematization Through Topic Modeling. |
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| Authors: | Rainero, Valeria (AUTHOR), Luijkx, Ruud (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). Jun2026, Vol. 65 Issue 2, p293-306. 14p. |
| Subjects: | Secularism, Differentiation (Sociology), Text mining, Comparative studies, Postmodernism (Philosophy) |
| Abstract: | Secularization is a key concept in the social scientific study of religion, yet its meaning remains ambiguous due to varied definitions produced in the literature. This article aims to provide a data‐driven systematization of the debate on religious change by analyzing 1638 academic articles published between 2001 and 2022 using structural topic modeling (STM), a computational technique for text analysis. The model differentiates the debate between institutional differentiation and individual trajectories of religious change, ranging from macro to micro dimensions of secularization. It also identifies critical perspectives, including supply‐side and postmodernist theories. Finally, specific religious traditions are identified and analyzed, through a cross‐national comparison, to test institutional parochialism, or the tendency for researchers to study their own communities. Results seem to discredit the idea that religious studies scholars neglect the study of non‐Western religions. However, the contemporary debate on secularization is still heavily dominated by authors located in the West. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) is the property of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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| Abstract: | Secularization is a key concept in the social scientific study of religion, yet its meaning remains ambiguous due to varied definitions produced in the literature. This article aims to provide a data‐driven systematization of the debate on religious change by analyzing 1638 academic articles published between 2001 and 2022 using structural topic modeling (STM), a computational technique for text analysis. The model differentiates the debate between institutional differentiation and individual trajectories of religious change, ranging from macro to micro dimensions of secularization. It also identifies critical perspectives, including supply‐side and postmodernist theories. Finally, specific religious traditions are identified and analyzed, through a cross‐national comparison, to test institutional parochialism, or the tendency for researchers to study their own communities. Results seem to discredit the idea that religious studies scholars neglect the study of non‐Western religions. However, the contemporary debate on secularization is still heavily dominated by authors located in the West. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 00218294 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/jssr.70033 |
