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Performing the Secular explores the itineraries of 'the secular' within the modern world. Recent events such as the ongoing crises over the sex abuse scandals within the Catholic Church, the ire over the Danish cartoons of Prophet Muhammad, the hijab controversy in Europe and the demolition of the Babri mosque in India by right-wing Hindu groups exposes the fragility of claims of a secular public sphere. The increasing public contestations of the secular ideal mobilize passionate performances through claims and counter-claims that confirm the importance of religion in public life. This volume critically examines the implicit assumptions that undergird the category of the 'secular' through the lens of performance, redressing the lacunae within standard political science accounts of secularism.

Performing the Secular