Religion and Politics: What Does God Have To Do with It?
Journal Title: Religions - Year 2015, Vol 6, Issue 4
Abstract
Since 9/11, and even more so with the atrocities committed by ISIS in Iraq and Syria, violence in the name of God is predominantly perceived as a “different” kind of violence, which triggers more “absolute” and radical manifestations than its secular counter parts. In its first part, this article will challenge this so called exceptionalism of religious violence by questioning the neat divide between politics and religion that makes any forms of interactions between the two illegitimate or dangerous. It will look specifically at state actions vis-à-vis religions since the inception of the nation-state and show that the most extreme cases of violence in the name of religion are actually closely associated with specific forms of politicization of religion initiated by “secular” state actors and/or institutions. It argues that the “hegemonic” status granted to a religion by the state is often associated with greater political violence, building on research conducted in Egypt, Turkey, Iraq, and Pakistan.
Authors and Affiliations
Jocelyne Cesari
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP25489
- DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/rel6041330
- Views 326
- Downloads 8
Saint Anselm of Canterbury and Charismatic Authority
The early career of Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury (c. 1033–1109) provides an opportunity to explore the operation of charismatic authority in a monastic setting. It is argued that the choice of Anselm for the archiep...
Against Vais.n. ava Deviance: Brahman ¯ . ical and Bhadralok Alliance in Bengal
This article sets out to problematise the notion that late nineteenth and early twentieth century Vais.n. ava anti-sahajiya¯ polemics can be taken as a definitive index of colonial wrought rupture within Gaud . ¯ıya...
Spiritual Identity: Personal Narratives for Faith and Spiritual Living
In this article we outline a theoretical and methodological framework for spiritual identity as meaning in folk psychology. Identity is associated with psychological elements of personality that help people manage a ti...
The Reformers and Tradition: Seeing the Roots of the Problem
Challenges the ideal of scripture vs. tradition as a manner of separating Protestants from Catholics in the early modern period, to argue instead that historians should be setting out a continuum of continuity with the...
Faith-Based Intervention: Prison, Prayer, and Perseverance
This qualitative article explores the impact of faith-based interventions through the lens of a self-identified practicing Christian: Joanna. For over a decade, Joanna has visited several prisons in the United Kingdom...