Religion and the Law in modern pluralist states: Towards a more balanced judicial approach to manifestation of belief in secular societies

The work presented for the Phd by publication is located within the law and religion sub-discipline and is committed to enhancing religious freedom. It focuses on manifestation of belief and is dedicated to the legal protection of religious minorities. It highlights the difficulties of adjudicating conflicts related to religious symbols in modern liberal states and aims to deepen the understanding of manifestation of belief. It shows that religious symbols contribute to the making of contemporary individual and collective identities. The thesis advocates a more contextual approach to manifestation of belief which views religion as an element of identity rather than an elective characteristic of the individual. It therefore promotes collaborations with other disciplines within the social sciences such as history, sociology, and anthropology in order to enhance the legal approach and move the field in new directions.