Entre pluralisation et régulation du champ religieux: premiers pas vers une approche en termes de médiations pour la Suisse

Abstract

Regularities identified by the author in the Swiss socio-religious sphere suggest that the “pluralization thesis” cannot fully explain the contemporary complexity of this sphere. The author discusses the implications of an alternative approach to the pluralization thesis, that is, the theory of the regulation of religion. After giving a brief presentation of four broad types of regulation theories, the author proposes a theoretical framework drawing from all four types, but differing from them by the emphasis it puts on the reintegration of the actor in the sociological analysis of religion. She thus introduces the concept of “mediating institutions”, which offers a way out of the theoretical dichotomy of pluralization versus regulation. As an example, she traces the recent evolution of church-state relationships by exploring the current discussions concerning the introduction of cultural teaching on religion into the Swiss school education system.