PRAYERS OF THE PRECARIAT? THE POLITICAL ROLE OF RELIGION LN PRECARIOUS TIMES

This article presents and discusses Guy Standing's use of the concept the 'precariat,' and its possible usefulness when analyzing the role of religion in present political crises. Combining the classic Marxist concept of the 'proletariat' with diverse experiences of precariousness in a globalized world such as social exclusion, part-time and insecure work, and migration, the term 'precariat' is presented as a suggestive socio-analytic tool. Standing's use of this neologism is also criticized, however, in particular for signaling certain social groups as 'dangerous', thus arguably revealing an implicit, Eurocentric and colonizing bias. Neither Standing nor his critics address the role of religion in a relationship with the precariat. Hence, referring to the sociological work of Inglehart and Norris on the increasing relevance of religiosity in precarious living conditions, this article poses the challenge of analyzing in what ways different kinds of religiosity (fundamentalist, charismatic, liberationist) may be seen to affect the precariat and political processes to overcome precarization.