Routledge Representing Religion in the European Union: Does God Matter? (Routledge Studies in Religion and Politics)

Religious actors are becoming part of the EU bureaucratic system, and their mobilisation in Brussels and Strasbourg in the last decade has increased dramatically. This book explores the mechanism and impact of religious representation by examining relations between religious practitioners and politicians in the European Union from the Second World War until today. This book seeks to answer the following questions: How do (trans)national religious groups enter into contact with European institutions? What are the rationale and the mechanisms of religious representation in the European Union? How are religious values transposed into political strategies? What impact has relations between religious practitioners, EU officials and politicians on the construction of the European Union? Examining religious representation at the state, transnational and institutional levels, this volume demonstrates that ‘faith’ is becoming an increasingly important element of the decision-making process. It includes chapters written by both academics and religious practitioners in dialogue with European institutions and will be of great interest to students and scholars of European politics, history, sociology of religion, law and international relations. Review "Is acquiescence to neoliberal secularism the only viable option in light of the increasing religious pluralism, driven mainly by immigration, which is by no means experienced equally across the continent? Furthermore, while it is certain that the policies of the EU being formulated in Brussels will continue to leave questions of policies toward religion up to the individual member states, there is plenty of support and precedent for establishing common policies in areas such as upholding basic human rights. How far is the loose federalism of the EU stretched if and when policies of an individual nation toward the practice of religion within its own borders are conceived by other member states as approaching basic human-rights issues? […] these are the most interesting and important questions being raised, discussed, and variously answered by the historians, religious figures, sociologists, economists, and political scientists included in this valuable collection." - Daniel Liechty, Religion "One paradoxical impression to take away from the book is that the EU, despite its secular outlook, favours religious interests over non-religious communities of conviction." - Michael Minkenberg, West European Politics About the Author Lucian N. Leustean is a Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the Aston Centre for Europe and the Associate Dean for Postgraduate Programmes in the School of Languages and Social Sciences at Aston University, Birmingham