Two modern concepts: Religion and secularization

Abstract

Contemporary debates on religion and secularization rest partially on the polysemy of these terms. This paper provides a short history of both and make the following claims: 1. Religion and secularization are modern concepts; 2. Secularization is a complex, diverse, plural, non teleological process; 3. Religion is a highly problematic concept, arosen in a very specific stage (XV-XIX centuries in Europe), so it is difficult to apply to other cultures and periods of time. For that reason, “religion” should be understood as an analytical tool for studying social life.