With a clear statement of the theoretical issues in the debates about secularization and post-secularism, 'Religion and the State: A Comparative Sociology' considers a number of major case studies from China, Europe, Singapore and South Asia in order to understand the rise of public religions in the modern state. By distinguishing between political secularization the separation of state and religion and social secularization the transformation of the everyday practice of religion this volume offers an integrating framework within which to analyze these different societies.