Secular Formations and Public Spheres in a Transcultural Perspective

Abstract

There is a wide consensus on the secular character of Western societies. This is particularly evident in their articulation of the private and public spheres, based on the assumption that secular norms require that religious groups stay away from public arenas. The Habermasian public sphere appears then as a prototypical secular arena. The paper explores how the Habermasian notion can be enriched in a transcultural perspective. It shows that several Muslim actors are key contributors – and not opponents – to the renewal of the secular process, both within European societies and at a transnational level, notwithstanding their original understanding of the public sphere and of its normative fundaments.