S01E08 - The Contemporary Debate on Secularization and Its Cross-National Variation: A Systematization Through Topic Modeling

This study utilizes structural topic modeling to analyze over 1,600 academic articles published between 2001 and 2022, seeking to organize the complex global debate surrounding secularization. The researchers identify thirteen distinct themes, categorizing them into four primary clusters: institutional differentiation, individual religious decline, critical theories, and specific religious traditions. While macro-level research explores how religion separates from law, politics, and science, micro-level studies focus on shifting personal beliefs and demographic trends. The analysis also tests for institutional parochialism, finding that while scholars often prioritize religious groups within their own geographic regions, topics like Islam and Asian religions receive significant attention from Western researchers. Ultimately, the paper concludes that although the field is diversifying its interests, the production of secularization literature remains heavily concentrated among Western institutions.(Rainero, Valeria, and Ruud Luijkx. [online before print] “The Contemporary Debate on Secularization and Its Cross-National Variation: A Systematization Through Topic Modeling.” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. doi:10.1111/jssr.70033.)