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La double logique des relations Église/État en Suisse. Une perspective de théorie politique

William Ossipow
p. 41-56

Abstracts

In Switzerland, the regulation of religion by the federal government has two main features: the first one, in a liberal spirit, consists in the constitutional guarantee of basic liberties, including religious liberties. It is what political philosophy calls negative liberty, a protection against any unjustified restriction to individual autonomy. The second feature, which can be named the communitarian moment, is the devolution to the cantons (the members of the federal State) of the precise and concrete regulation of religion according to their own political and religious traditions. Instead of deciding in a centralizing and standardizing way a single model of regulation which would be applied in the whole country, the federalist principles, as understood in Switzerland, let each canton the competence of organizing religious matters provided that the basic individual and negative liberties are fully respected. These two features shape a complex institutional design, which may generate some inequalities between religious communities but which respects the democratic aspirations and the traditions of self-government of the cantons.

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References

Bibliographical reference

William Ossipow, « La double logique des relations Église/État en Suisse. Une perspective de théorie politique », Archives de sciences sociales des religions, 121 | 2003, 41-56.

Electronic reference

William Ossipow, « La double logique des relations Église/État en Suisse. Une perspective de théorie politique », Archives de sciences sociales des religions [Online], 121 | janvier - mars 2003, Online since 17 November 2005, connection on 28 March 2024. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/assr/2385 ; DOI : https://doi.org/10.4000/assr.2385

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About the author

William Ossipow

Université de Genève

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Copyright

The text only may be used under licence © Archives de sciences sociales des religions. All other elements (illustrations, imported files) are “All rights reserved”, unless otherwise stated.

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