The thesis is focused on relationship between income inequality and religiosity. Results of the analysis confirm correlation between income inequality and religiosity, however, causality of this relationship remains unclear. This relationship is established in the context of the theory of secularization, specifically in the new version -- the theory of existential insecurity. Analysis confirms this theory and is based on several sociological researches with a broad sample of countries and with several variables of religiosity separated into two groups (variables of religious participation and variables of personal faith), which is the main contribution of the analysis. Besides that, the thesis presents other explanations of the relationship between income inequality and religiosity. These theories are based on differences in preferences of religious and nonreligious individuals. The thesis also confirms ongoing secularization in the most countries of the world in last 20-30 years.

It was expected that by the end of the twentieth-century, due to human achievement and technology, religion would be a mere fading memory in the minds and the history books of modernized western people. This has been expressed through the secularization thesis, which describes a “disenchantment” of western culture. Over the last ten years, however, there has been a growing movement seeking to re-enchant this culture by exploring and reconsidering religion, myth and spirituality. One of the most powerful expressions of this is popularly referred to as the New Age Movement. This thesis looks at the relationship between New Age and secularization theory, examining the reasons for an apparent turn away from secularization. By using Jacques Ellul’s interpretation of the history of the sacred, this thesis proposes that far from being a time of secularization, modernism ushered in an era where the sacred canopy of Christianity was replaced by a new sacred expression in the form of science and technology. In recent years, however, the perceived failure of modernism has generated a search for a new set of sacred expressions in western society. New Age and postmodernism are vehicles which people are using to initiate this search. Currently both phenomena are looking to three sources in order to recover meaning and control over life: the past and the distant, nature and the self. The theoretical challenge New Age and postmodernism represents to the secularization thesis is made concrete in the geography of the New Age Movement. This thesis makes a physical connection between the New Age and areas of gentrification, which contradicts the assumptions of the secularization thesis by proving that an area which should be highly secularized is in fact a place of spiritual exploration. / Arts, Faculty of / Geography, Department of / Graduate

abstract: The pipe organ, a musical instrument historically, culturally, and conceptually associated with Christian worship, is being negatively affected in terms of condition and continued use in the United States by rising rates of secularity, declining mainline Protestant and Catholic adherents, declining worship attendance, and, most directly, the closure of church buildings. No scholarly research addresses the relationship of secularization and the organ, and no professionals in the field acknowledge its seriousness or have presented plans to counter it. This paper lays the groundwork for future research while exploring the landscape of the organ’s possible secular uses. The organ’s relationship to secularization is defined through the interdisciplinary lens of secular studies, bolstered through an exploration of its past. This thesis analyzes the use of the organ in secularized churches in the United States through case studies of fourteen organs in thirteen former churches. While these examples reveal some promising adaptive reuses of church buildings and their organs, the prevailing conclusion is that the instrument’s future is severely endangered. There are few paid secular positions and insignificant educational opportunities that stem from secularized churches. The public lacks exposure to the instrument because of the infrequency of organ-related events. Yet because the organ’s principal aesthetic is not Christian but communal, the instrument has the potential to thrive in secular contexts. This reframing and often literal repositioning requires stronger leadership: organizations and individuals promoting the organ must be proactive in working with the new owners of secularized churches to help them incorporate the instrument in new, revitalized contexts. A dynamic future for the organ requires the creative work of many. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2020

The aim of this thesis is to identify and illuminate Anyurus fictional portrayal of Islam and Muslims role in the future Swedish society. Furthermore, this thesis intends to shed light on the novels attitudes towards Islam and Muslims. This thesis hopes to add knowledge about how Islam and Muslims can be portrayed in popular cultural. The research questions are framed as follow: How can portrayal of Islam and Muslims in Anyurus novel be understood in relation to José Casanovas theory of the changing role of religions in the public and private spheres? Does Anyurus novel reflect open or closed attitudes about Islam and Muslims? The theoretical starting points that were used to answer the study’s purpose and research questions were José Casanovas secularization theory and The Runnymede Trust model of open and closed attitudes towards Islam and Muslims. The methodological approach was a qualitative content analysis with a focus on a thematic analysis. The material that was being analyzed is a novel called They will drown in their mother’s tears, written by Johannes Anyuru. The results showed that José Casanovas secularization theory could be used to understand Islam and Muslims role in the society. Results showed that their role did not disappear from the public to the private sphere, it was a choice that Muslims in the novel decided by themselves. The result also showed that it can be argued that the majority of Anyurus representation reflect closed attitudes towards Islam and Muslims. The open attitudes could not be identified and reflected in Anyurus novel. It is important to keep in mind that this is a study that is based on a fictional representation of the future of Sweden, which therefore means that it is not possible to draw a parallel to reality.

Die Reformation und nicht zuletzt die durch sie im 16. Jahrhundert erfolgte Säkularisation der Klöster veränderte Sachsen. Vom Wechsel der Eigentumsverhältnisse waren Gebäude, Ländereien sowie das Vermögen und damit auch die Bibliotheken der Klöster betroffen. Bisher existierten Darstellungen dieser Thematik nur zu wenigen ausgewählten Klosterbibliotheken. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden alle Klöster des albertinischen Sachsens bezüglich ihrer Bibliotheken in diesem Zeitraum untersucht. Zahlreiche Quellen werden erstmals verifiziert und ediert. Nach einer Darstellung der Situation vor der Reformation sowie der wirtschaftlichen, sozialen, politischen und kulturellen Verhältnisse des ausgewählten Territoriums in der 2. Hälfte des 16. Jahrhunderts folgen Einschätzungen zum Bücherbestand der 30 Klöster in 20 Ortschaften und des Domherrenstifts zu Meißen. Vergleiche der Säkularisation von Bibliotheken nach der Reformation in anderen Territorien und Provenienznachweise für einzelne Handschriften und Frühdrucke sowie das vollständige Sequestrationsverzeichnis der Bibliothek des Dominikanerklosters zu Leipzig von 1541 ergänzen die Arbeit.

Between Cross and Hammer. Reception of Social Thought in the Catholic Church during the First Half of the 20th Century ABSTRACT The thesis examines the construction, development, transfer, and adaptation of Catholic social thought in the first half of the 20th century. Social Catholicism is understood not only as a concept defined by the social teachings of the Church in the form of encyclicals, but primarily as a collective social practice present in society in various forms. From this perspective the thesis contributes to the debate around the secularization discourse and the role of religion in modern society. The analysis of the Social Catholic movement is done in two different national contexts: Belgium and Czechoslovakia. Comparative method finds its place dominantly in the second part of the study, which puts together the network of Social Catholic organizations and different actors in both countries. The focus on the discourse and social practices of Social Catholicism and Catholics' involvement among the working class tries to reinforce connections and links within ecclesiastical, social, and cultural history. Jakub ŠTOFANÍK

(in English) A thesis deals with the secularization of a Prague, especially Smichow working class in the second half of the 19th century. The working class is usually considered the most secular stratum and the aim of the thesis is to verify the proposition locally and to examine why the process of secularization occurred in the working class so powerfully. The working class is drafted as a social stratum in which the process acts as well as the stratum actively practices it. The process of secularization is then divided into three categories; religion - spirituality - church and the process is conceptualized as "de-catholization" as well as the spiritual transformation. In the process of the transformation, traditional religion (Catholicism), its institutions (church) and religiosity lose their socio-cultural power and are replaced by modern ideologies, state (bureaucratic and rational) structures and implicit spirituality, resp., "un- religious faith". In the process of secularization, there is particularly stressed the role of urbanization, industrialization, socialism, church and its social teaching. In the thesis, there are combined theoretical approaches of the sociology of religion (the sacred canopy) and religious studies (dimensions of the Sacred) and are applied to the secondary and...

(in English) A thesis deals with the secularization of a Prague, especially Smichow working class in the second half of the 19th century. The working class is usually considered the most secular stratum and the aim of the thesis is to verify the proposition locally and to examine why the process of secularization occurred in the working class so powerfully. The working class is drafted as a social stratum in which the process acts as well as the stratum actively practices it. The process of secularization is then divided into three categories; religion - spirituality - church and the process is conceptualized as "de-catholization" as well as the spiritual transformation. In the process of the transformation, traditional religion (Catholicism), its institutions (church) and religiosity lose their socio-cultural power and are replaced by modern ideologies, state (bureaucratic and rational) structures and implicit spirituality, resp., "un- religious faith". In the process of secularization, there is particularly stressed the role of urbanization, industrialization, socialism, church and its social teaching. In the thesis, there are combined theoretical approaches of the sociology of religion (the sacred canopy) and religious studies (dimensions of the Sacred) and are applied to the secondary and...

This study discusses high school and religion based on David Thurfjell's theory of secularization. The study answers three different research questions where the purpose is to use two reports from the think tank Timbro, based on a qualitative content analysis, to answer the study's research questions. The research questions include, (1) whether the Swedish classroom is secularized or not, based on the think tank Timbro's surveys “Being neutral” and “Confessional independent schools - societal problems or human rights?” (2) how religious students are treated in school by non-religious students and teachers, based on the think tank Timbro's surveys “Being neutral” and “Confessional independent schools - societal problems or human rights?”. The final issue discussed is, (3) different tendencies that can be found in scientific research and based on David Thurfjells theory of secularisation in terms of secularization and schooling.  The results of the study have been able to show that there is an exclusion of religious students in the Swedish high school classrooms as some teachers, among other things, choose to use the pronoun "them" when talking about religious people. This means that students with a religious background in the classroom do not feel included in the same way as the secularized students. This is a major reason why religious students choose confessional independent schools over public schools. (Karin Kittelmann Flesners, 2017, s. 21, 27), (Masoud Kamali (2005, s. 29-30), (Jonas Qvarsebo & Fredrik Wenell, 2018, s. 17).

This study explores the roles of religious organizations in the refugee movement “Lampedusa in Hamburg”, in Hamburg, Germany during 2013 and 2014. “Lampedusa in Hamburg” consisted of approximately 300 refugees who had come from Libya, and decided to fight for their right to stay in Germany. Early on, religious organizations became important supporters to the movement, by providing the members food and shelter. By analyzing archival material and interviews with two religious representatives, this thesis investigates the involvement of religious organizations, their collaborations, and the outcomes produced by their work during the protests, using theories connected to secularization and religion and migration. The analysis shows that the involvement of religious organizations in the “Lampedusa in Hamburg”- movement is an example of how faith-based actors in the West are standing up against authorities and objecting migration policies. Their work, collaborations and impact were clearly shaped by national ties with the German state and their position in society.  Further, local dynamics formed the roles of the religious organizations, especially in the case of the St. Pauli church – one of the most central religious actors – located in St. Pauli, a block with a long history of protests. During the Lampedusa in Hamburg-movement, processes operating at global, national, and local scales met, exposing the complexities of the roles that religious organizations take on, as they become involved in migrant processes in Western Europe today.