Rossella Alessandra Bottoni

The origins of secularism in Turkey

This paper aims to offer some remarks on the relationship between Ottoman reforms and Atatu?rk?s revolutionary laws ? a relationship that is generally minimised or misperceived. The first part focuses upon the Ottoman system of relations between state and religious denominations. It challenges the theory of the theocratic character of the Ottoman Empire, which constitutes one of the traditional arguments strengthening the case against the importance of the Ottoman secularising reforms. The second part of the paper deals with the Ottoman reforms concerning dress, education and administration of justice. It stresses the secular character of such measures, and maintains that there is no historically grounding to the view that the secularisation of institutions is always accompanied by the secularisation of society. The third part takes into account the two elements that most distinguish Mustafa Kemal?s reforms from the Ottoman ones: that is, the ideological nature of the principle of secularism, and the method of preparation and implementation of the revolutionary laws.

Legal, Political and Social Obstacles for Headscarved Women Working at State Institutions in Turkey

AbstractThis article aims to offer some remarks as to legal, political and social obstacles for women wearing a headscarf and working at State institutions. The first part focuses upon the historical background and the ideological context of the creation of the ‘new Turkey’, in order to explain why a garment revealing the affiliation to the majority’s religion is so controversial. The second part deals with the legal basis for the prohibition for headscarved women to work at State institutions, the political opposition to the use of the headscarf in State institutions, and the polarisation in the social understandings of the headscarf. The third part is a critique of the arguments for this limitation and takes three principles into special account: equality between men and women, secularism and State neutrality. Finally, some conclusive remarks are made concerning the prospects for resolution.

Challenges to the Catholic Notion of Family and the Responses of the Catholic Church in Italy

This article aims to examine the tensions between religion and the rule of law, focusing on the defense of the Catholic notion of the family in Italy, under Ruini’s and Bagnasco’s chairmanships of the Episcopal Conference of Italy ( ECI ). The first part offers some remarks on the institution of the conference of bishops and the development of its role in Italy, as well as on the Catholic notion of family and the challenges it has faced in the course of the Italian process of secularization. The second part examines the responses of the ECI to three state measures: Law no. 40/2004 on medically assisted reproduction; the legislation proposed in 2007 and never enacted on the rights and duties of cohabiting couples; and Law no. 76/2016 on civil unions between homosexual persons and on the legal recognition of cohabitation.

North Atlantic Catholic Communities in Rome in the 19th Century: Appointment and Ecclesiastical Policies of the First Irish-, American- and Canadian-Born Cardinals

SUMMARY: 1. Introduction - 2. Cardinals and the Internationalization of the Sacred College - 3. The Internationalization of the Catholic Church, the Irish Diaspora and the Transnational Network of North Atlantic Catholic Communities - 4. Appointment and Ecclesiastical Policy of Paul Cullen, the First Irish-Born Cardinal - 5. Appointment and Ecclesiastical Policy of John McCloskey, the First American-Born Cardinal - 6. The First Vatican Council - 7. The 1878 Conclave - 8. Appointment and Ecclesiastical Policy of Elzear-Alexandre Taschereau, the First Canadian-Born Cardinal - 9. Final Remarks . ABSTRACT: In the second half of the 19th century, when the Roman Curia was still a monopoly held by Italians and few other European nationalities, the first Irish-, American- and Canadian-born cardinals were appointed within the time span of twenty years - respectively in 1866, 1875 and 1886. In the subsequent decades, other Irish-, American- and Canadian-born cardinals were appointed. This development - in a crucial time characterized by the end of the pope’s temporal power - raises important questions: to what extent did the concerned cardinals became ‘Romanized’ and to what extent did they rather contribute to the development of a new vision of their role in the Catholic Church? Also, to what extent did they pursue the interests of their respective national Catholic community, and to what extent did they rather share the same preoccupations and put forward the same demands? In order to answer these questions, this essay will focus on Paul Cullen, John McCloskey and Elzear-Alexandre Taschereau.

I recenti decreti delle Regioni vallona e fiamminga sulla macellazione rituale nel contesto dei dibattiti belga ed europeo in materia

This essay aims to examine the recent reforms approved in two Belgian regions - Wallonia and Flanders - in order to prohibit the carrying out of religious slaughter without previous stunning. In the first part, some recent developments occurred in European countries will be dealt with. The second part will focus on the related Belgian debate of the past few years. The third and last part will assess the new legislation introduced by the Walloon and Flemish parliaments

Il principio di laiklik nella Turchia della Seconda e Terza Repubblica (1961-2011)

This essay aims to examine the peculiarities of the process of secularization and the outcomes of the proclamation and enforcement of the principle of secularism (laiklik) during the Second and Third Republic of Turkey. In this period, the country has experienced a deep transformation of the relationship among religion, politics and society, whose most evident results are a greater visibility of the Islamic headscarf and the success of religiously-oriented political parties. These developments have compromised the ideological pillars on which Ataturk, ‘Father of the Turks’, had founded the ‘new Turkey’ and have led to opposite interpretations. On the one side Turkey, once the bulwark of religious moderation in the Near and Middle East, is seen as being threatened by the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. On the other side, the religiously-oriented protagonists of this social and political change have achieved the country’s most significant progress in the process of adoption of the acquis communautaire and have strengthened its credentials as a democratic regime far more than their Kemalist counterparts.