Freedom with Religions. Rethinking Civility through Political Inclusivism in Liberal Democracies

Freedom with Religions offers a new interpretation of Rawls’s political liberalism, aiming to reconcile this framework with the profound forms of religious pluralism that characterize contemporary democracies. Rather than aligning with either the traditional defenders or the radical critics of Rawls’s project, the book charts a middle path—one that reaffirms the core commitments of political liberalism while expanding its capacity to accommodate religion and religious identities. At the heart of this approach lies political inclusivism: a normative framework that remains faithful to the principles of public reason, yet moves beyond standard interpretations to better reflect the lived experiences of religious citizens. Building on this foundation, the book introduces the notion of a culture of civility: a socially embedded complement to the duty of civility that helps bridge the gap between public justification and the ethical life of civil society. These innovations aim not only to reinterpret Rawls’s theory but also to articulate a broader and more inclusive vision of the liberal democratic ethos. This book will be of particular interest to postgraduate students and scholars in political theory, philosophy, sociology of religion, and the social sciences more broadly. It will also appeal to policymakers and practitioners engaged in anti-discrimination efforts and interfaith dialogue in pluralist democracies.