1st Edition
The European Union and Religion The Supranational Meets the Supernatural
Foreword by Ján Figeľ; 1. Introduction: Swimming Against the Tide: Making Sense of the EU's Plunge into the Sacred Pool; 2. Scaling the Walls of the EU's Secular Citadel; 3. The Sacred Meets the Secular: Assault from All Sides on European Laïcité; 4. Ground Operations: Three Stories from the Frontline of EU-Religion Engagement; 5. The Rules of Engagement: The EU's sui generis Religion-State Model; 6. The Shape of Things to Come: Religion in EU and Global Governance
Biography
Fearghas O'Beara holds a doctorate in Social Sciences from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, and is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Religion, Human Values, and International Relations at Dublin City University. He currently serves as Head of the European Parliament Office in Ireland.
'Religion may be a factor in the recent rise in populism and increasing polarisation in European politics. While religion can be divisive, however, O’Beara in his brilliant book The EU and Religion shows that it also has potential to bring to life the EU’s notion of unity in diversity.'
Wolfram Kaiser, Professor of European Studies, University of Portsmouth, and Visiting Professor, College of Europe, Bruges
'This book is an excellent reflection on the EU's approach to religion, based on the author's first-hand experience of policy-making. It is a must-read for anyone interested in this issue, and more broadly in the complex interplay between culture, values and politics in contemporary Europe.'
François Foret, Professor of Political Science, Université Libre de Bruxelles
'The unique insights in this book, including into religion-orientated institutional practices within EU organs of governance, are likely to prove invaluable for the practitioner, policy maker and academic alike. This is a timely analysis that ought to inform the future direction of Europe and its place on the international stage. O’Beara is unafraid to address some of the most challenging religion-based issues of our time head on with clarity and prophetic insight.'
Jessica Giles, Senior Lecturer in Law, The Open University
