The second day of the international conference “The Dynamics of Secularism, (Anti)Clericalism, Theology, and Science in Southeastern and Central Europe”, organised by the Institute for Advanced Studies at the University of Montenegro, took place on 29 September 2024 in the coastal town of Petrovac. The day began with a keynote lecture by Professor Marco Ventura, Professor at the University of Siena and Director of the Center for Religious Studies at Fondazione Bruno Kessler. His presentation, “Freedom of Religion or Belief: A Space for the Reinvention of Secularism”, explored the evolving relationship between religious freedom and secularism, setting the tone for the day’s discussions.
The first panel of the day, “Gender, Religion, and Secularism: Orthodox and Catholic Perspectives”, featured presentations by Andrea Jovanović (Institute for Political Studies, Belgrade) on “Orthodox Christianity and Gender: Challenges of Conceptualising and Analysing Desecularisation in Southeast Europe”, Marcin Bider (University of Siedlce) with “Responding to Secularization: A Discussion on the Possible Revival of the Social Work of the Women’s Diaconate in the Catholic Church in the 21st Century”, and Teodora Stanković (University of Montenegro, Institute for Advanced Studies), who presented on “The Role of Secularism in Shaping Gender Norms in Montenegro.”
The second panel, “Between De-Secularization and Secularism: Political and Religious Tensions in Greece, Serbia, and Northern Macedonia”, was moderated by Nikola Zečević (University of Montenegro). The panel featured papers by Konstantinos Papastathis (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki) on “Rigorist Populism or Incremental Political De-Secularization? The Case of Greece’s Níki Party”, Milan Veselica (Institute of International Politics and Economics, Belgrade) with “Civil Religion in Serbia: A Nexus Between Christian Orthodox Ideas and Western Secularism”, and Vedran Obućina (Centre for Interreligious Dialogue, Croatia) who examined “Aggressive Secularism in Northern Macedonia or Lack of Responsibility in the Religious Communities?”
The third panel, “Religion, Philosophy, and Post-Secularity: Reimagining Public Discourse”, included Vasileios Christodoulakis (Hellenic Open University) with his paper “A Normative Argument for Religion in the Public Sphere”, Spyridon Kaltsas (University of Ioannina) on “The Multiple Experiences of Post-Secularity”, and Dominika Dziurosz-Serafinowicz (University of Gdansk), who presented “Religious and Philosophical Language: Differences and Similarities.”
The final academic session, “Montenegro in Transition: Constitutional Identity, State-Religion Relations, and Populism”, featured presentations by Matija Stojanović (University of Montenegro, Faculty of Law) on “Montenegro’s Constitutional Identity in Light of Post-Secularism”, Nikola Šaranović (University of Donja Gorica) with “State-Religion Dialogue in Montenegro: Legislation and Practice”, and Feđa Pavlović (University of Montenegro, Institute for Advanced Studies) who explored “Populist Rupture and Its Aftermath in Montenegro (2020-2023).”
The day concluded with a lecture by Professor Saul Newman, Professor of Politics at Goldsmiths, University of London, titled “Rethinking Liberalism in Post-Secular Times”, which provided a critical examination of liberalism in the context of the post-secular world.
This conference was organised as part of the project “Beyond the Anticlerical Paradigm: Rethinking Secularism in Contemporary Montenegro”, supported by a grant from the University of Oxford.
