Introduction – Transformations of Religiosity in Central and Eastern Europe Twenty Years after the Breakdown of Communism

Abstract

Twenty years after the breakdown of communism, the status of religiosity and religion in Central and Eastern Europe remains indeterminate. A large body of empirical work indicates a revitalization of religion (Tomka et. al. 1999, 2008, 2010). However, a comparable number of empirical publications points out that secularization similar to that in the Western world is now taking place or will take place in the near future (Halman/Draulans 2006; Pickel 2009, 2010, 2011; Pollack 2001, 2009). It appears to be common sense that religiosity is undergoing a period of transformation in Central and Eastern Europe. Nevertheless, it is uncertain what the transformation entails. Will previous religions recur with renewed strength, will others – alternative religions or religious movements – take their place (as per the market theory of religiosity), will a kind of spirituality that exceeds organized religion spread (as per the individualization theory of religiosity, see Luckmann 1967) or do many of the processes of ousting the religious in times of socialism merely represent early processes of secularization? Are the Eastern European states turning into the Western course of secularization or are they following a special path of their own?