Why size matters: Majority/minority status and Muslim piety in South and Southeast Asia

Abstract

The differences in the socio-economic outcomes of majorities and minorities have been well studied in sociology. This article breaks new ground by investigating the effect on religiosity of majority/minority status in two Muslim-majority and two Muslim-minority countries of South and Southeast Asia. Religiosity is conceptualised as a multidimensional phenomenon. The article critically discusses this conceptualisation through an analysis of survey data. The findings show significant differences in the sociological profiles of religiosity in Muslim-majority and Muslim-minority countries. The architecture of religiosity is significantly more orthodox in Muslim-majority countries. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings for understanding the nature and dynamics of religious orthodoxy, the nature of civil society, religious reform and the role of collective religious social movements.