Civil Religion or Nationalism? The National Day Celebrations in Norway
The Norwegian National Day (17 May, also referred to as Constitution Day) stands out as one of the most popular National Day celebrations in Europe. According to surveys, around seven out of every 10 Norwegians take part in a public celebration during this day. This means that the National Day poten...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-03-01
|
| Series: | Religions |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/3/206 |
| _version_ | 1827697335715495936 |
|---|---|
| author | Pål Ketil Botvar |
| author_facet | Pål Ketil Botvar |
| author_sort | Pål Ketil Botvar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Norwegian National Day (17 May, also referred to as Constitution Day) stands out as one of the most popular National Day celebrations in Europe. According to surveys, around seven out of every 10 Norwegians take part in a public celebration during this day. This means that the National Day potentially has an impact on the way people reflect upon national identity and its relationship to the Lutheran heritage. In this paper, I will focus on the role religion plays in the Norwegian National Day rituals. Researchers have described these rituals as both containing a significant religious element and being rather secularized. In this article, I discuss the extent to which the theoretical concepts civil religion and religious nationalism can help us understand the role of religion, or the absence of religion, in these rituals. Based on surveys of the general population, I analyze both indicators of civil religion and religious nationalism. The two phenomena are compared by looking at their relation to such items as patriotism, chauvinism, and xenophobia. The results show that civil religion explains participation in the National Day rituals better than religious nationalism. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:06:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4c37f18a5b2c4d39a4b0a38c026d0365 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:06:39Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-4c37f18a5b2c4d39a4b0a38c026d03652023-11-21T11:02:01ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442021-03-0112320610.3390/rel12030206Civil Religion or Nationalism? The National Day Celebrations in NorwayPål Ketil Botvar0Department of Religion, Philosophy and History, University of Agder, 4606 Kristiansand, NorwayThe Norwegian National Day (17 May, also referred to as Constitution Day) stands out as one of the most popular National Day celebrations in Europe. According to surveys, around seven out of every 10 Norwegians take part in a public celebration during this day. This means that the National Day potentially has an impact on the way people reflect upon national identity and its relationship to the Lutheran heritage. In this paper, I will focus on the role religion plays in the Norwegian National Day rituals. Researchers have described these rituals as both containing a significant religious element and being rather secularized. In this article, I discuss the extent to which the theoretical concepts civil religion and religious nationalism can help us understand the role of religion, or the absence of religion, in these rituals. Based on surveys of the general population, I analyze both indicators of civil religion and religious nationalism. The two phenomena are compared by looking at their relation to such items as patriotism, chauvinism, and xenophobia. The results show that civil religion explains participation in the National Day rituals better than religious nationalism.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/3/206National Day celebrationschurchcivil religionnationalismsecularization |
| spellingShingle | Pål Ketil Botvar Civil Religion or Nationalism? The National Day Celebrations in Norway Religions National Day celebrations church civil religion nationalism secularization |
| title | Civil Religion or Nationalism? The National Day Celebrations in Norway |
| title_full | Civil Religion or Nationalism? The National Day Celebrations in Norway |
| title_fullStr | Civil Religion or Nationalism? The National Day Celebrations in Norway |
| title_full_unstemmed | Civil Religion or Nationalism? The National Day Celebrations in Norway |
| title_short | Civil Religion or Nationalism? The National Day Celebrations in Norway |
| title_sort | civil religion or nationalism the national day celebrations in norway |
| topic | National Day celebrations church civil religion nationalism secularization |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/3/206 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT palketilbotvar civilreligionornationalismthenationaldaycelebrationsinnorway |