Reaching the Limits of Secularization? Turkish- and Moroccan-Dutch Muslims in the Netherlands 1998-2006

Authors: Maliepaard, Mieke¹; Gijsberts, Mérove²; Lubbers, Marcel³

Source: Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Volume 51, Number 2, 1 June 2012 , pp. 359-367(9)

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Abstract:

This research note focuses on Muslim minorities living in a secular context, the Netherlands. The question is whether mosque attendance among Turkish- and Moroccan-Dutch changed between 1998 and 2006, testing mechanisms of religious decline and religious vitality. Elaborating on previous research of the same Muslim groups, this study examines a longer time span and adds contextual-level explanations. Whereas previous research reported a linear trend towards secularization over time and over generations, in recent years the trend has become more complex. The revival of religious attendance among the second generation is most striking. Forces of secularization such as educational attainment and generational replacement gradually lose their predictive power. Over time, processes of secularization are therefore not inevitable.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5906.2012.01647.x

Affiliations: 1: Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, Utrecht University 2: Netherlands Institute for Social Research 3: Department of Sociology, Radboud University Nijmegen

Publication date: 2012-06-01