Rethinking the Place of Religion and Worldviews in Differentiation Theory: A Historical Comparison between Chinese and European Societies
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Hubert Seiwert
Abstract
The article critically examines the interpretation of religion in Luhmann’s differentiation theory, and proposes a revision to overcome the Eurocentric bias inherent in his approach. Luhmann’s central argument, that the primacy of functional differentiation was first established in modern (Western) society, lacks empirical support. This is demonstrated in the first section of the article, through consideration of premodern Chinese society. Luhmann’s thesis that religion limited the development of functional subsystems in all premodern societies is also shown to be incorrect. In premodern China, it was not religion but Confucianism that possessed overarching social relevance, and Confucianism does not exhibit the characteristics of religion as specified by Luhmann. In the second section, this article modifies and extends Luhmann’s differentiation theory. By comparing the social significance of premodern Christianity with that of Confucianism, and by considering the processes that have led to the disestablishment of both worldviews since the nineteenth century, this article outlines a theoretical framework for the analysis of ideological differentiation and the constraints that worldviews place on functional autonomy. This approach seeks to provide a broader understanding of societal development, beyond Eurocentric perspectives, reconsidering the effects of religious and secular worldviews.
Abstract
The article critically examines the interpretation of religion in Luhmann’s differentiation theory, and proposes a revision to overcome the Eurocentric bias inherent in his approach. Luhmann’s central argument, that the primacy of functional differentiation was first established in modern (Western) society, lacks empirical support. This is demonstrated in the first section of the article, through consideration of premodern Chinese society. Luhmann’s thesis that religion limited the development of functional subsystems in all premodern societies is also shown to be incorrect. In premodern China, it was not religion but Confucianism that possessed overarching social relevance, and Confucianism does not exhibit the characteristics of religion as specified by Luhmann. In the second section, this article modifies and extends Luhmann’s differentiation theory. By comparing the social significance of premodern Christianity with that of Confucianism, and by considering the processes that have led to the disestablishment of both worldviews since the nineteenth century, this article outlines a theoretical framework for the analysis of ideological differentiation and the constraints that worldviews place on functional autonomy. This approach seeks to provide a broader understanding of societal development, beyond Eurocentric perspectives, reconsidering the effects of religious and secular worldviews.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
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Part I Premodern Boundary Negotiations: Self-Distinctions of the Religious Sphere
- Dynamics of Differentiation from Charlemagne to Dante. Medieval Christian Debates on Religion and Politics beyond the Model of a “Separation of Church and State” 15
- Secularity and Differentiation in Late Antiquity. The Case of Augustine of Hippo 51
- Monasticism, Differentiation and Secularization: Talcott Parsons and the Catholic ‘Monastic Movement’ in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries 79
- Negotiating the Boundaries between Religion and Science in the Abbasid Empire 105
- Religious and Secular in Premodern Islam and Christianity 125
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Part II Colonial Boundaries: Religion, Culture, and “Middle Things”
- King, Messiah, and Culture in the Making of Zulu Secularity 157
- The “Middle Things”. Differentiating between the Religious Spheres in Indian and African Mission Contexts in the Nineteenth Century 189
- Beyond Non-Catholic/Catholic (Luong/Giao) Separation: Missionary Expansion and Divergent Manifestations of Religious Differentiation in Colonial Vietnam 213
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Part III Competing Epistemes: Lessons Learned From Asia
- The Autonomy of Science vis-a-vis Religion: Amitav Ghosh’s The Calcutta Chromosome as a Theoretical Counter-Narrative to the Western Master Narrative of Functional Differentiation 239
- Global Translations: Conceptualizing Differentiations Between ‘Religion’ and ‘Science’ in Thailand and the Philippines in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries 271
- Demarcating Religion: On the Varying Ways of Conceptualizing Social Differentiation in Japanese History 301
- Rethinking the Place of Religion and Worldviews in Differentiation Theory: A Historical Comparison between Chinese and European Societies 329
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Part IV Programmatic Proposals: Differentiation Theory and the Sociology of Religion and Secularity
- The Fragmentation of the Sacred: An Alternative Narrative of Western Modernity 359
- Rigid Differentiation Theory and Flexible Sociology of Religion? 379
- After Autonomy. Relationships between Art and Religion in Nineteenth Century Germany and their Implications for Differentiation Theory 407
- Beyond Normative Binaries: Neutral Zones as Precursors and Starting Points of Secularity 437
- The Authors 467
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
-
Part I Premodern Boundary Negotiations: Self-Distinctions of the Religious Sphere
- Dynamics of Differentiation from Charlemagne to Dante. Medieval Christian Debates on Religion and Politics beyond the Model of a “Separation of Church and State” 15
- Secularity and Differentiation in Late Antiquity. The Case of Augustine of Hippo 51
- Monasticism, Differentiation and Secularization: Talcott Parsons and the Catholic ‘Monastic Movement’ in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries 79
- Negotiating the Boundaries between Religion and Science in the Abbasid Empire 105
- Religious and Secular in Premodern Islam and Christianity 125
-
Part II Colonial Boundaries: Religion, Culture, and “Middle Things”
- King, Messiah, and Culture in the Making of Zulu Secularity 157
- The “Middle Things”. Differentiating between the Religious Spheres in Indian and African Mission Contexts in the Nineteenth Century 189
- Beyond Non-Catholic/Catholic (Luong/Giao) Separation: Missionary Expansion and Divergent Manifestations of Religious Differentiation in Colonial Vietnam 213
-
Part III Competing Epistemes: Lessons Learned From Asia
- The Autonomy of Science vis-a-vis Religion: Amitav Ghosh’s The Calcutta Chromosome as a Theoretical Counter-Narrative to the Western Master Narrative of Functional Differentiation 239
- Global Translations: Conceptualizing Differentiations Between ‘Religion’ and ‘Science’ in Thailand and the Philippines in the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries 271
- Demarcating Religion: On the Varying Ways of Conceptualizing Social Differentiation in Japanese History 301
- Rethinking the Place of Religion and Worldviews in Differentiation Theory: A Historical Comparison between Chinese and European Societies 329
-
Part IV Programmatic Proposals: Differentiation Theory and the Sociology of Religion and Secularity
- The Fragmentation of the Sacred: An Alternative Narrative of Western Modernity 359
- Rigid Differentiation Theory and Flexible Sociology of Religion? 379
- After Autonomy. Relationships between Art and Religion in Nineteenth Century Germany and their Implications for Differentiation Theory 407
- Beyond Normative Binaries: Neutral Zones as Precursors and Starting Points of Secularity 437
- The Authors 467
