Introduction: New Perspectives on Secularisation in Britain (and Beyond)

Abstract

This introductory article reviews the recent developments in the debate on secularisation to establish the context within which the articles in this collection are located. It argues that the debate is complex and multi‐faceted, and has been subject to refocus and redefinition in the last decade. The article traces the contributors' previous interventions in the debate, and summarises the articles in this volume. It concludes that the theme of secularisation remains of continuing interest to scholars precisely because it has such broad collections between history and other disciplines. Moreover, the secularisation debate continues to engage scholars on different sides of the enlightenment divide.