Latin American Perspectives on Law and Religion

This book makes a valuable contribution to the fascinating global debate on the meaning and scope of freedom of religion or belief and the relations between state, society and religion. It offers a cross-thematic approach to law and religion from the Global South. 

Law and religion have been consolidated to form a specific area of study in recent years. However, due to language barriers, most of the regional and national debates within Latin America have not been accessible to interested audiences from other parts of the world. Despite the specificities of the Latin American context, the issues, arrangements and processes that have been negotiated and developed in this part of the Global South make a valuable contribution to addressing the challenges that have arisen in other regions. The book analyses the intersections and interactions between religion and other far-reaching subjects such as politics and democracy, traditional cultures, national and ethnic groups, majorities and minorities, public education, management of diversity, intolerance and violence, as well as secularism and equality. The collection of essays is of interest not only to legal scholars and practitioners, but also to sociologists, political scientists and theologians, as well as to policymakers and civil society organizations.