In English, the word “secularization” generally refers to a broad shift away from religion. But in French-speaking world, there’s a distinction between “sécularisation” and “laïcité”. In Quebec, the term “laïcité” has taken center stage in recent years, especially since the 2019 adoption of the Act Respecting the Laicity of the State (also known as Bill 21). So, what’s the difference between the two terms?
“Laicity” refers specifically to a legal framework that clearly separates religion and the government. The term “lay State” emphasizes that the government stays neutral when it comes to religion and that civil law comes before religious rules in the public sphere. Laicity is also based on core values like equality of all citizens, freedom of conscience, and freedom of religion.
“Secularization”, on the other hand, refers to the social, historical and legal shift through which institutions and roles that used to be controlled by religion are transferred to the public or civil domain. It’s the broader phenomenon where religion has less influence over both governments and populations.
The shift that comes from secularization often goes hand in hand with developments in fields like science, philosophy, law, and the arts, as well as key social progress, like the push for gender equality and the right to abortion.
Where did secularization come from?
According to Solange Lefebvre, professor and Chair for the Management of Cultural and Religious Diversity at the Université de Montréal, the term “secularization” appeared in France during the Napoleonic era, when Napoleon seized property from the Church.
He transferred these Church assets to the government. In Quebec, a similar shift happened much later. It wasn’t until the 1960s that the Quebec government took over responsibilities like education and healthcare, which had previously been managed by religious authorities.
Over time, the concept of secularization broadened with the rise of modernity. The term entered the fields of philosophy, history, and sociology, reflecting a growing distance from religion according to Lefebvre. “Secularization” is a complex concept that is still debated today. For some, it means a shift in ideas that moves society away from religion. For others, it reflects a simple decline of religion.
This sociopolitical transformation happens gradually. For example, although the process of removing religion from Quebec’s public school system began during the Quiet Revolution, it wasn’t completed until the turn of the century.
What about laicity?
Compared to secularization, laicity is a more recent and narrowly defined concept, notes Lefebvre. Laicity has been adopted by very few countries. The first country to include the concept in its constitution was Mexico in 1917. France adopted laicity much later, in the 1950s.
The concept was mainly developed by French historian Jean Baubérot, a key figure in the field, according to Lefebvre. He’s the one who proposed a definition for laicity to distinguish it from secularization. Lefebvre summarizes Baurébot’s definition this way: laicity is what structures the relationship between the government and religion, while secularization refers to broader social trends around religion.
According to Lefebvre, laicity wasn’t widely discussed in France until the 1980s and 1990s, when public debates emerged around Islam. These debates are said to have started in response to the desire of some Muslim women and men to affirm their religious identity, namely through wearing the headscarf. Result: France banned religious symbols, first for public servants in the 1980s, and later for students and teachers in the 2000s.
In Quebec, it wasn’t the headscarf that sparked public debate, but a 2006 Supreme Court of Canada decision allowing a Sikh student to wear a kirpan, a ceremonial dagger, to school. This decision triggered the so-called “reasonable accommodation crisis”. In response to this, the government launched the Bouchard-Taylor Commission on reasonable accommodations, which, according to Lefebvre, “put laicity on the map” in Quebec. Twelve years later, Quebec adopted the Act Respecting the Laicity of the State.
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The Multani case |
Lefebvre mentions having noticed that some English-speaking experts in the field are reluctant to embrace the concept of laicity. “They don’t like the word. They don’t want to use it when translating,” she explains, adding that the term is often seen as overly restrictive. Still, she believes it’s important to keep using both terms, secularization and laicity, to be aware of their different meanings and nuances when used in different contexts.
The interview with Solange Lefebvre was conducted in French. All quotes in this text have been translated into English.