Pertinence of the dualization theory of religion in Switzerland, France and Europe

The principal explanations of contemporary religious change face two main difficulties. On the one hand, they often fail to express the complexity of the ongoing evolution, because they are too focused on institutional religion, e. g. secularization. On the other hand, some of them favour fashionable themes (the growth of individualism, the privatization of religion) and skirt the societal impact of religion. The idea of dualism allows a combined approach to the process of religious de-institutionalization and the new patterns of its regulation. The authors discuss this theory on the basis of data relating to Switzerland, France and other Western European countries (EVS, ISSP). In spite of the difficulty of finding relevant indicators that allow proper comparison, the results are promising. They invite further critical analysis of current definitions. The theory of dualism allows us to reopen the debate on religious change.