The State and Religious Minorities in Sweden

Linnea Lundgren's book explores the governance of religious diversity and the complex relationship between state and religion, challenging the idea that recent controversies are new. She argues that the underlying fear of weakening individual rights and religious minorities challenging common values remains the same. To understand the debate, it is essential to look at underlying tensions between the state, civil society, and the individual.

Format: Hardback
Length: 154 pages
Publication date: 25 October 2023
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG

This book, a revised version of Lundgren's PhD thesis, provides a profound understanding of the changes in the governance of religious diversity and the intricate relationship between state and religion. Linnea Lundgren delves into the historical development of the narrative of risk and resource, examining how it has evolved beyond recent decades, particularly since 9/11, and analyzing the historical evolution of the governance of religious diversity. With a specific focus on Sweden, often regarded as one of the most secular countries in the world while simultaneously being recognized as one of the most multi-religious countries in Europe due to immigration, Lundgren reveals how the state has played a central role in shaping the terms and conditions that enable and limit what religious communities can do, thereby influencing the function and role of religion in the public realm. Through a comprehensive analysis of government documents spanning seventy years (1952-2022), Lundgren challenges the notion that many of the recent controversies concerning religious diversity are novel. She argues that many of the discussions held today regarding the accommodation of Muslims are reminiscent of previous discussions regarding the management of Catholics and the Free Churches in the 1950s and 1960s. Lundgren demonstrates that the underlying fear remains the same: that individuals' rights can be weakened or diminished in religious communities, and that religious minorities will challenge the common shared values of society. Based on this analysis, Lundgren concludes that to fully comprehend the stakes in the debate regarding religious diversity in Sweden today, it is essential to address the underlying tensions that exist between the state and religious communities.

Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783031421549
Edition number: 1st ed. 2023