Jean Baubérot

Jean Baubérot , born in 1941, is a historian and sociologist French specialist in the Sociologie of the religions and founder of the sociology of the Laïcité. After having occupied the pulpit of “History and sociology of the Protestantism” (1978-1990), it is titular pulpit of “History and sociology of secularity” (since 1991) to the practical École of the high studies of which he is the honorary president. He wrote twenty works, of which a historical novel. He is the joint author of a international Déclaration on the secularity signed by 250 academics of 30 countries.

Founder and old directing of the Group of Sociology of the religions and secularity (CNRS - EPHE (1995-2001))

Only member of the Commission Stasi to be itself abstained on the vote from the report/ratio which allowed the development of law relating to the application of the principle of secularity

Critical

Jean Baubérot, in his History of secularity in France (2005), specifies that the concept of pact laic implies by no means that the separation of the Churches with the State is the result of a negotiation of power with power, but gives an account of the passage of a secularity which was the exclusive good of one of both France in conflict (that of holding of the French revolution and that of " the oldest daughter of Église"), with a secularity which can include the members of both France when, in 1946, secularity became constitutional with the Fourth Republic, in the same way in 1958 in the constitution of the 5th Republic.

Secularity presents three aspects. The State is secularized, the freedom of belief and of worship is whole, finally the beliefs (religious or not) are equal between them. Thus secularity means the neutrality of the State, with the service of the human rights and the freedom of conscience. Such was the position of Ferdinand Buisson, according to Baubérot. The secularists build according to him kind of an intolerant and identity secularity by privileging the only criterion of secularization, which is however a theological term. Admittedly, a secularization without secularity would be a kind of oecumenism, not a true secularity. But a secularity without religious liberty would be kind of an official, contrary atheism with the freedom of conscience in the name of the emancipation. Now, the believers tend to privilege the second the minority criterion, religious liberty, and religions the equality between the worships. In any case equality of their own religion! ( Secularity 1905-2005, between passion and reason , Threshold, 2004).

The philosopher Henri Pena-Ruiz criticized, in the chapter " secularity in debate: interpretations and controversies (examples) " of its book secularity (2003), the laic idea of pact worked out by Jean Baubérot in his work Towards a new laic pact? (1990) by the way in particular of the law of Separation of the Church and the State in 1905, by stressing that a pact supposes that there was a negotiation with the Churches, which was not the case. “It is a question of knowing if secularity must be renegotiated according to the evolutions of the religious landscape”, or if it is about a “principielle value transcending the various spiritual options and who escapes the relativisation”.

The answer of Jean Baubérot (cf his History of secularity in France , Which do I know? with PUF) is that the sociological concept of " pacte" do not imply a formal negotiation inevitably (cf already the 3rd direction of the Robert) but means " capacity to conceive a future different from the conflict horizon which limits the present; will and the political possibility to act as much according to this utopian future that according to the conflict present and to give the means of arriving to one (relative) pacification".

On the other hand Patrick Cabanel ( words of secularity , University Presses of Mirail, Toulouse, 2004) estimates that the concept is historically relevant (p. 77-80).

Jean Baubérot is also the author of the concept of thresholds of laicization: he distinguishes three thresholds, the first is the result of the French revolution and of the centring operated by Napoleon Bonaparte, it second of the laws laicizing the public school (1882-1886) and separating the Churches and the State (1905, 1907,1908), the third was worked out of 1968 (anti-institutional dispute of May 68) to 1989 (falls of the Berlin Wall, 1st business of scarf).

Jean Baubérot claims himself of a " secularity inclusive". He estimates on the other hand that the work of Henri Pena-Ruiz is marked, in a paradoxical but significant way, by a denominational Historiographie… while retaining primarily of Bonaparte - the Concordat - without taking account of the Civil code which dissociates in a stable way the laws of the religious standards.

Other functions

Founder and old Directing of the Group of Sociology of the Religions and Secularity , CNRS-EPHE
Honorary president of the School Practices High Studies, Titulaire of the Pulpit “History and Sociology of Secularity”, EPHE (Sorbonne)
Ancien adviser near Madam the Minister Ségolène Royal, 1997-1998, Éducation with the citizenship.
Member of the advisory Commission of the worships, Ministry for Employment and Solidarity (since 1999)
Member of the Mission of evaluation, analysis and proposals relating to the violent representations on television (Ministry for the Culture, June-December 2002)
Member of the Commission on the Private college education of the Minister of education main road (since 2003)
Member of the Independent commission on the application of the principle of secularity in the Republic known as “Commission Stasi” (July-December 2003)

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