Rodrigo Vitorino Souza Alves 
Latin American Perspectives on Law and Religion [PDF ebook] 

This book makes a valuable contribution to the fascinating global debate on the meaning and scope of freedom of religion or belief and the relations between state, society and religion. It offers a cross-thematic approach to law and religion from the Global South. 


Law and religion have been consolidated to form a specific area of study in recent years. However, due to language barriers, most of the regional and national debates within Latin America have not been accessible to interested audiences from other parts of the world. Despite the specificities of the Latin American context, the issues, arrangements and processes that have been negotiated and developed in this part of the Global South make a valuable contribution to addressing the challenges that have arisen in other regions. The book analyses the intersections and interactions between religion and other far-reaching subjects such as politics and democracy, traditional cultures, national and ethnic groups, majorities and minorities, public education, management of diversity, intolerance and violence, as well as secularism and equality. The collection of essays is of interest not only to legal scholars and practitioners, but also to sociologists, political scientists and theologians, as well as to policymakers and civil society organizations.

Spis treści

Ch. 1 Latin American Perspectives on Law and Religion: An Introduction.- Ch.2 Law and religion in the encounter of cultures: The normative conflicts between freedom of religion or belief and the rights of indigenous peoples in Latin America.- Ch.3 Secular or multi-confessional, that is the question: Tensions Within the Argentinean Protestantism During the Religious Freedom Act Negotiations.- Ch.4 The 2017 Proposed Law on Religious Freedom for Argentina: comparative perspectives.- Ch.5 Secular State and religious education in public schools: the Brazilian case.- Ch.6 Religious intolerance in Brazil: An analysis of the social reality.- Ch.7 Mexican Law of Religion at 27 years of the constitutional reform on religious matters.- Ch.8 Colombia as a Secular State.

O autorze

Rodrigo Vitorino Souza Alves is Professor of Law at the Federal University of Uberlândia (Brazil) and the Leading Researcher of the Brazilian Center for Studies in Law and Religion. His research interests include international human rights law, law and religion, and constitutional law. He was an Academic Visitor at the University of Oxford. Rodrigo has been invited to speak at national and international events around the world, including the OHCHR and OAS. He is a member of the ICLARS and CLLR research networks.