European Culture Wars and the Italian Case ─ Which Side Are You On?

This book is to understand the European political debate about contentious issues framed in terms of religious values by religious and/or secular actors in 21^st century, focusing specifically on the Italian case, which, due to its peculiar history and contemporary political landscape, is a paradigmatic case for the study of the relationships between religion and politics.

In recent years, a number of controversies related to religious issues have characterised the European public debate at both the EU and the national level. The ‘affaire du foulard’ in France (2004-2011), the referendum on abortion in Portugal (2007), the recognition of same-sex marriages in many Western European States – from Belgium (2003), to Spain (2005), to France (2013) –, the debate over bioethics and the regulation of euthanasia (legalized in Belgium and the Netherlands – 2002), as well as the discussion on religious pluralism and the religious roots of Europe in the EU Constitution, are only a few examples of contentious issues involving religion. All these debates have been at the centre of the political and public spheres across Europe, contributing to revive the attention towards the role of religion in contemporary societies, and highlighting the diverse forms of political secularism in Europe.

The book aims at shedding light on the interrelation between the different debates, as well as their broader meaning, through the analysis of a paradigmatic case: Italy. The country summarizes and sometimes exasperates wider European trends, both because of the peculiar role traditionally played by the Vatican in Italian politics and for the rise, since the 1990s, of new political entrepreneurs eager to exploit ethical and civilizational issues.

Dr Luca Ozzano is researcher at the University of Turin (Torino), Italy.

Alberta Giorgi, University of Coimbra, Portugal.