Secular Czechs and Devout Slovaks: Explaining Religious Differences
Czechs are some of the least religious people in Eastern Europe. In contrast, their close neighbors and one-time compatriots, the Slovaks, are vastly more religious. What explains this marked difference in religiosity between two regions that have shared a common history throughout the twentieth cen...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Sage Publications
2005
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In: |
Review of religious research
Year: 2005, Volume: 46, Issue: 3, Pages: 269-283 |
Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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Summary: | Czechs are some of the least religious people in Eastern Europe. In contrast, their close neighbors and one-time compatriots, the Slovaks, are vastly more religious. What explains this marked difference in religiosity between two regions that have shared a common history throughout the twentieth century? Statistical analyses of demographic differences do not yield any convincing answers. Instead, the religious differences between Czechs and Slovaks are rooted in the historical relationship between religion and nationalism in both regions. This paper provides a historical framework in which to understand current religious differences and shows that secularization is a complex phenomenon which depends heavily on church relations with nationalist sentiment. |
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ISSN: | 2211-4866 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Review of religious research
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/3512556 |