Attitudes et pratiques religieuses en Suisse - 1988

Religion has greatly contributed to the constitution of a Swiss identity. To speak of religion today, it is therefore essential to put the current data in historical perspective. Compliance with this requirement is difficult. For we have excellent studies on the relationship between religious institutions and Swiss society, but we lack data to make comparisons over time with regard to the religiosity of individuals. This is often reconstructed from partial or individual documents, or even from impressions. This procedure is not unrelated to the diffusion of the notion of secularisation. However, if, for example, we can observe a decreasing influence of religion with regards to the status and role of the churches in Switzerland, such a judgment appears fragile when it comes to discussing the relationship of individuals to religion. The study carried out within the NRP 21 "Cultural Pluralism and National Identity" of the SNSF therefore pursues the following two main objectives: - to give, for the first time, a precise and ample picture of the religious situation in Switzerland; - to contribute to the theoretical discussion of the sociology of religion, polarized on the concepts of secularisation, individualisation, and recomposition of religion. In addition, the study compares the religious evolution in Switzerland with that seen elsewhere in Europe. By posing the problem within this broader framework, it is possible to better understand the change that is taking place and to measure the specificity of the Swiss case. For Switzerland is not immune to the broad process of recomposition of religion that is currently under way, even though the Christian tradition has retained a dominant position in this country. The theoretical basis of the research was influenced by the fact that the latter was carried out by a team of sociologists attached to two institutions rooted in distinct cultural traditions (language, confession, sociological theory). Thus the collaborators of the Swiss Institute of Pastoral Sociology (SPI), inspired by the functionalist theory of society developed by N. Luhmann, emphasized the processes of social differentiation and structural individualization that influence religion today. More concerned with a cultural approach to social reality, the collaborators of the Institute of Social Ethics (IES) of the FSPC and the University of Lausanne have endeavored to identify religious change by taking less account of the system than the actors who dispute the religious field. The collaboration of the two teams resulted in a rich and fruitful discussion around the theoretical concept of individualization.La religion a fortement contribué à la constitution d'une identité Suisse. Pour parler de la religion aujourd'hui, il est donc indispensable de mettre les données actuelles en perspective historique. Le respect de cette exigence est difficile. Car, si nous disposons d'excellents travaux sur les rapports entre institutions religieuses et société suisse, nous manquons de données pour opérer des comparaisons dans le temps en ce qui concerne la religiosité des individus. Celle-ci est souvent reconstruite à partir de documents partiels ou individuels, voire d'impressions. Cette procédure n'est pas étrangère à la diffusion de la notion de sécularisation. Or si une perte d'influence de la religion peut s'observer en ce qui concerne par exemple le statut et le rôle des Eglises en Suisse, un tel jugement paraît fragile quand il s'agit d'aborder les rapports qu'entretient l'individu avec la religion. La recherche réalisée dans le cadre du PNR 21 "Pluralisme culturel et identité nationale" du FNRS poursuit par conséquent les deux objectifs principaux suivants: - donner, pour la première fois, une image précise et ample de la situation religieuse en Suisse; - contribuer à la discussion théorique de la sociologie de la religion, polarisée sur les concepts de sécularisation, individualisation ou encore recomposition de la religion. Par ailleurs la recherche permet de comparer l'évolution religieuse en Suisse avec celle que l'on repère ailleurs en Europe. En posant la problématique dans ce cadre élargi, il est possible de mieux cerner le changement qui s'opère et de mesurer la spécificité du cas helvétique. Car la Suisse n'échappe pas au large processus de recomposition de la religion qui est en cours actuellement, même si dans ce pays la tradition chrétienne a conservé une position dominante. L'ancrage théorique de la recherche a été influencé par le fait que cette dernière a été menée par une équipe formée de sociologues rattachés à deux institutions enracinées dans des traditions culturelles (langue, confession, théorie sociologique) distinctes. Ainsi les collaborateurs de l'Institut suisse de sociologie pastorale (SPI), s'inspirant de la théorie fonctionnaliste de la société développée par N. Luhmann, ont mis l'accent sur les processus de différenciation sociale et d'individualisation structurelle qui influent sur la religion aujourd'hui. Plus attachés à une approche culturelle de la réalité sociale, les collaborateurs de l'Institut d'éthique sociale (IES) de la FEPS et de l'Université de Lausanne se sont efforcés de cerner le changement religieux en prenant en compte moins le système que les acteurs qui se disputent le champ religieux. La collaboration des deux équipes s'est traduite par une discussion nourrie et fructueuse autour du concept théorique d'individualisation

Befragung junger deutschschweizer Familien zur Bedeutung von religiösen Ritualen - 2005

Within the framework of the National Research Program 52 "Childhood, Youth and Intergenerational Relationships in a Changing Society", the Institute for Practical Theology of the University of Bern carried out the research project "Rituals and Ritualizations in Families: Religious Dimensions and Intergenerational References". Within this research project, the Swiss Pastoral Sociology Institute (SPI) carried out a written representative survey among young families in German-speaking Switzerland. The study focuses firstly on the description of the religious-ritual practice in young families. The ritual practice of young families is examined using the examples of the three ritual complexes Baptism, Good Night Rituals and Christmas celebration. The young mothers and fathers are questioned about the form and meaning of these rituals. On the other hand, the study is interested in the embedding of the three rituals in the everyday life of young families with their diverse mentality profiles, interpretation horizons and conceptions of a good life. Rituals and their interpretation for people's lives can only be adequately interpreted when they are addressed in the context of modern living conditions. Rituals do not represent a special area of human life, but are based on elementary and vital life activities. The feelings, values, attitudes as well as the participants’ conception of the world and mankind and the scope of their relation to transcendence are articulated by these activities, and the life situation is reflected in their own habitual patterns of interpretation. Against this background, the central questions of investigation were: 1. What is the plausibility of religious attitudes and religious-ritual practice for the young parents under the conditions of late modernity? What religious traditions correspond to young families today? 2. What is the complex interplay between the form and meaning of ritual practice and the contextual variables? Can typological patterns be identified? 3. How do the ultimate meanings, subjectivization of life, value preferences, church reference and lifestyle affect the ritual-religious practice of young families? 4. How do young parents view the compatibility of rituals and modernity as a claim to autonomous living?Im Rahmen des nationalen Forschungsprogramms 52 "Kindheit, Jugend und Generationenbeziehungen im gesellschaftlichen Wandel" führte das Institut für praktische Theologie der Universität Bern das Forschungsprojekt "Rituale und Ritualisierungen in Familien: religiöse Dimensionen und intergenerationelle Bezüge" durch. Innerhalb dieses Forschungsprojektes realisierte das Schweizerische Pastoralsoziologische Institut (SPI) eine schriftliche Repräsentativbefragung unter jungen Familien in der Deutschschweiz. Der Schwerpunkt der Untersuchung liegt zum einen in der Beschreibung der religiös-rituellen Praxis in jungen Familien. Am Beispiel der drei Ritualkomplexe Taufe, Gute-Nacht-Rituale und Weihnachtsfeier wird die rituelle Praxis von jungen Familien untersucht. Gefragt wird nach der Ausgestaltung und Bedeutung dieser Rituale in den Augen von jungen Müttern und Vätern. Zum anderen interessiert die Einbettung der drei Rituale in die alltägliche Lebenswelt junger Familien mit ihren verschiedenartigen Mentalitätsprofilen, Lebensdeutungshorizonten und Vorstellungen eines guten Lebens. Rituale und deren Deutung für die Lebensgestaltung der Menschen lassen sich erst angemessen interpretieren, wenn sie im Zusammenhang mit den modernen Lebensverhältnissen thematisiert werden. Rituale stellen keinen Sonderbereich menschlichen Lebens dar, sondern gründen in elementaren und lebenswichtigen Lebensvollzügen. In ihnen artikulieren sich Gefühle, Werte, Haltungen, das Welt- und Menschenverständnis der Beteiligten, die Reichweite ihres Transzendenzbezuges und es widerspiegelt sich die Lebenslage mit ihren eigenen habituellen Deutungsmustern. Vor diesem Hintergrund lauteten die zentralen Untersuchungsfragen: 1. Welche Plausibilität haben für die jungen Eltern religiöse Einstellungen und die religiös-rituelle Praxis unter den Bedingungen der späten Moderne? Welche religiöse Tradierungskraft kommt heute jungen Familien zu? 2. In welchem komplexen Wechselspiel stehen Form und Bedeutung der rituellen Praxis und die Kontextvariablen zueinander? Lassen sich darin typologische Muster erkennen? 3. Wie wirken sich das System letzter Bedeutungen, die Subjektivierung der Lebensführung, die Wertepräferenzen, der Kirchenbezug und der Lebensstil auf die rituell-religiöse Praxis junger Familien aus? 4. Wie verträglich werden von jungen Eltern Rituale und Moderne als Anspruch auf autonome Lebensführung verstanden

Examining the extinction of the Barbary Lion and its implications for felid conservation

Estimations of species extinction dates are rarely definitive, yet declarations of extinction or extirpation are important as they define when conservation efforts may cease. Erroneous declarations of extinctions not only destabilize conservation efforts but also corrode local community support. Mismatches in perceptions by the scientific and local communities risk undermining sensitive, but important partnerships. We examine observations relating to the decline and extinction of Barbary lions in North Africa. Whilst the extinction predates the era of the scientific conservation movement, the decline is relatively well documented in historical records. Recently unearthed accounts suggest Barbary lions survived later than previously assumed. We use probabilistic methods to estimate a more recent extinction date for the subspecies. The evidence presented for a much later persistence of lions in North Africa, including generations when sightings were nil, suggests caution when considering felid populations as extinct in the wild. The case raises the possibility that captive animals descended from the Moroccan royal collection are closer contemporaries to wild Barbary lions. Furthermore, our results highlight the vulnerability of very small lion populations and the significance of continued conservation of remnant lion populations in Central and West Africa. © 2013 Black et al