Abstract “The shadow of Lautsi” refers to the European Court of Human Rights case of Lautsi v. Italy regarding the display of religious symbols in public schools, and to the impact of that case in terms of negotiations, bargaining, and politicking about the place of religious symbols in public spaces that takes place against the backdrop of Lautsi. In the Greek context, debates and politicking on this subject have largely taken place “in the shadow” of the Lautsi case, but in a discernibly warped shadow. This article explores the malleability of the shadow of the law, particularly when it comes to efforts—whether by religious groups or by national governments—or both—to maintain a central place for a particular religion in the public sphere by trying to redefine religion as heritage, or as culture. Through a focus on the case of religious symbols in Greece, the article examines the legal, social, and political implications of bargaining that takes place in Lautsi’s shadow in order to justify such expressions of close church–state relations.
Effie Fokas (Tue,) studied this question.