Religion and politics Books

Book SynopsisTheosis, or the principle of divine-human communion, sparks the theological imagination of Orthodox Christians and has been historically important to questions of political theology. In The Mystical as Political: Democracy and Non-Radical Orthodoxy, Aristotle Papanikolaou argues that a political theology grounded in the principle of divine-human communion must be one that unequivocally endorses a political community that is democratic in a way that structures itself around the modern liberal principles of freedom of religion, the protection of human rights, and church-state separation. Papanikolaou hopes to forge a non-radical Orthodox political theology that extends beyond a reflexive opposition to the West and a nostalgic return to a Byzantine-like unified political-religious culture. His exploration is prompted by two trends: the fall of communism in traditionally Orthodox countries has revealed an unpreparedness on the part of Orthodox Christianity to address the qTrade Review“Papanikolaou’s The Mystical as Political is a welcome addition to current debates in political theology. His emphasis on the importance of theosis or divine-human communion marks a distinct contribution that should appeal to students and researchers interested in the relationship between theology and politics and the role that Orthodox thought can and should play in current and future discussions.” —Religion and Theology“Historically informed, critically agile, and most likely bar-setting for future treatments of what a twenty-first century Orthodox political theology may look like.” —Sobornost“It is, indeed, essential reading and puts forward a challenging and uncompromising affirmation of human dignity, personhood, and politics colored by the light of the Orthodox concept of divine-human communion, while admirably endeavoring not to confuse the ecclesial with the political nor neglect the ascetic and relational reality of human community and love.” —Journal of Markets and Morality“The Mystical as Political is an important contribution to conversations on Orthodoxy, theology, and politics, written in response to the underdeveloped voice of Orthodoxy in law and politics. . . . This timely, constructive book will generate much reflection, discussion, and debate in Orthodox circles. For those interested in the intrinsic connections between mystical theology and politics, this book is essential reading.” —Anglican Theological Review“The Mystical as Political may be the theological equivalent of a venus flytrap. It has the potential to draw multiple interests and points of view into a conversation about the kinds of politics theosis demands. So rather than an indestructible apologia for liberal democracy, Papanikolaou has given us something more engaging, and thus, according to his own stated intentions, more successful.” —Modern Theology“Papanikolaou has written an excellent and timely book. . . . [His] narrative is fascinating and his argumentation sharp and carefully balanced. Well versed in both Eastern and Western theology, he is therefore able to bring together insights from both traditions into fruitful dialogue.” —Theology“This recent work by Aristotle Papanikolaou . . . is a profound achievement in political theology. Papanikolaou’s work fills a great void in Orthodox Christian studies as well as political theology. . . . What I find particularly helpful in this work is his positive appreciation of liberal democracy and human rights from an Orthodox Christian perspective, which many Orthodox prelates and theologians simply find incompatible with their faith tradition.” —Journal of Church and State“Aristotle Papanikolaou’s The Mystical as Political is a welcome contribution to discussions concerning Christian political theology in particular and the role of religion in the contemporary context more generally. His ‘non-radical Orthodoxy’ supports critical engagement with modern liberal democracies on the basis of the church’s mission to persuade human beings to enter freely into communion with God.” —Journal of Religion“Drawing on a wide range of historical source and contemporary political theology, [Papanikolaou] offers a fresh and constructive overview of the relationship between Orthodox Christianity and the political realm. Papanikolaou’s book makes a welcome contribution to the debate on the significance of symphonia in contemporary politics.” —Religion, State and Society“. . . Aristotle Papanikolaou engages Orthodox tradition, a persistent Eastern suspicion of Western values, and contemporary Western theological assertions that liberal democracy is anathema to a eucharistic understanding of church. . . This book is a model for how a scholar can be critical, careful, and even generous in his disagreements.” —Horizons

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Book SynopsisThis volume is the third in the Perspectives from The Review of Politics series, following The Crisis of Modern Times, edited by A. James McAdams (2007), and War, Peace, and International Political Realism, edited by Keir Lieber (2009). In A Liberalism Safe for Catholicism?, editors Daniel Philpott and Ryan Anderson chronicle the relationship between the Catholic Church and American liberalism as told through twenty-seven essays selected from the history of the Review of Politics, dating back to the journal's founding in 1939. The primary subject addressed in these essays is the development of a Catholic political liberalism in response to the democratic environment of nineteenth- and twentieth-century America. Works by Jacques Maritain, Heinrich Rommen, and Yves R. Simon forge the case for the compatibility of Catholicism and American liberal institutions, including the civic right of religious freedom. The conversation continues through recent deTrade Review"Over the decades, the Review of Politics has published some of the finest scholarly work on Catholicism’s engagement with liberalism, democracy, and human rights. Daniel Philpott and Ryan T. Anderson have selected “the best of the best” of these writings to include in their volume A Liberalism Safe for Catholicism. The book is a virtual graduate seminar on a subject that has increased in interest and importance as time has gone on—and promises to continue increasing as the Catholic Church, which was once deeply suspicious of liberalism, democracy, and human rights, has become their greatest defender against those who claim their mantle but who consistently undermine them in both theory and practice." —Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University"An important contribution to twenty-first-century debates and a reminder that, for more than seven decades, The Review of Politics has been one of the English-speaking world's premier journals of political theory." —George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow and William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies, Ethics and Public Policy Center“The pages of the Review of Politics since its founding in 1939 can be read as a chronicle of this partnership between the Catholic Church and liberal institutions—its development, its heyday, its encounter of travails, its ongoing virtues, and its persistent flaws. Indeed, the partnership has been fraught with controversy over its true extent, its robustness, and its desirability.” —from the introduction, A Liberalism Safe for Catholicism?"One needn't be a fan of liberal theory to value this superb collection of writings from The Review of Politics. Editors Daniel Philpott and Ryan T. Anderson have created a resource of enduring importance; a compendium of the best defenders and critics of the liberal state's compatibility with Catholic faith and life. It is vital reading for anyone interested in the future of the Church in American culture." —Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Philadelphia

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Book SynopsisColonial Loyalties is an insightful study of how Lima's residents engaged in civic festivities in the eighteenth century. Scholarship on festive culture in colonial Latin America has largely centered on fiestas as an ideal medium through which the colonizing Iberians naturalized their power. María Soledad Barbón contends that this perspective addresses only one side of the equation.Barbón relies on unprecedented archival research and a wide range of primary sources, including festival narratives, poetry, plays, speeches, and the official and unofficial records of Lima's city council, to explain the level at which residents and institutions in Lima were invested in these rituals. Colonial Loyalties demonstrates how colonial festivals, in addition to reaffirming the power of the monarch and that of his viceroy, opened up opportunities for his subjects. Civic festivities were a means for the populace to strengthen and renegotiate their relationship with the Crown. Trade Review“Colonial Loyalties: Celebrating the Spanish Monarchy in Eighteenth-Century Lima makes a fascinating and original contribution to the field of colonial Spanish-American studies and a number of related disciplines. The questions the book raises about the performance of loyalty and the politics of praise in an evolving context of viceroyalty, empire, and nation are compelling and timely. María Soledad Barbón uses both canonical authors and previously overlooked archival materials and primary sources to make her argument that Lima’s residents used civic festivities to further their own agendas in ways that reflect both local and imperial realities.” —Karen Stolley, Emory University“Colonial Loyalties is rigorously researched and elegantly conceived, and I learned a great deal in reading it. It is a profound analysis of viceregal celebrations in honor of the Spanish monarchs that breaks new ground. By focusing intently and equally on the textual, performative, and material dimensions of such vehicles of loyalty, María Soledad Barbón gives the genre its just due.” —Ruth Hill, Andrew W. Mellon Chair in the Humanities, Vanderbilt University"This important book is a valuable contribution to the growing field of the history of early eighteenth-century Spanish political culture and its renewed focus on the connections between the Baroque and the Age of Revolutions. Barbón's study has greatly enriched our understanding of the symbolic political economy of loyalty in the Spanish Empire." —Bulletin of Latin American Research"This study is an outstanding contribution to the burgeoning field of festival studies, and it shows just how rich the colonial Latin American context is for exploring some of the main issues that animate the field. . . .It strikes the right balance between attention to the continuities in festive practices and discourses and an analysis of how they evolved." —The Americas"This book explores the world of civic festivals in Bourbon Lima, which consolidated Hispanic monarchical power and helped counter social uprisings. . . .an interesting approach to the study of agency in colonial festivals." —Hispanic American Historical Review"Dedicated to the study of the royal festivities in Lima between 1701 and 1790, with an epilogue that extends the analysis until the transition to the republic, Colonial Loyalties constitutes a comprehensive study of the discursive corpus that surrounded these events during what is called the extended century XVIII." —Colonial Latin American ReviewTable of ContentsContents List of Abbreviations List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction: Celebrating the Monarchy in Bourbon Lima 1. The Politics of Praise 2. Discourses of Loyalty 3. Staging the Incas Epilogue: From the “Very Noble and Loyal” to the “Heroic City of the Free” Works Cited

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Book SynopsisExplores the bilateral relations between the US and the Vatican from 1975 to 1980, a turbulent period that had two presidents, three presidential envoys, and three popes. This previously untold story shows how the US and the Vatican worked quietly together behind the scenes to influence the international response to major issues of the day.Trade Review“An important addition to the story of U.S.-Vatican relations, which fluctuated widely for a century.” ––Ambassador Sam Gammon, former executive director, American Historical Association"The scholarship is amazing: first-hand accounts, personal notes of the author, State Department documents, biographies, journals, and newspapers. In the field of resources on modern U.S.-Vatican relations, there is a significant gap that this book fills." —Andrew Essig, DeSales University"[T]his volume is useful for casting light on Vatican diplomacy and American policies. Particularly valuable are insights into the role of Agostino Casaroli, eventually cardinal secretary of state, in the Vatican’s foreign policy." —ChoiceTable of ContentsPrologue 1. The Year of Three Popes and the Transformation of U.S.-Vatican Relations 2. Beagle Chanel Mediation: Diplomacy and War Prevention 3. The Vatican, Italy, and Eurocommunism 4. Vatican Ostpolitik: Diplomacy of Rapprochement with communism 5. The Vatican and the Helsinki Process 6. The Pope, the Neutron Bomb, and NATO Modernization 7. The President, the Pope and the Crown of St. Stephens 8. The Vatican, The U.S. & Lebanon’s Civil War 9. The U. S., the Vatican & Middle East, and Jerusalem 10. The Pope & the Iranian Hostage Crisis: The Limits of Papal Power 11. The Vatican, Liberation Theology & the Central American Imbroglio Epilogue Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisExamines Catholic Derry from the turn of the twentieth century to the end of the start of the Troubles. Plotting the relationships between community memory and historic change, Margo Shea provides a nuanced account of the cultural, political, and social history of Derry using research, oral histories, landscape analysis, and public speeches.Trade Review“This is indeed an original study that makes a significant contribution not only to the recent political and cultural history of the city of Derry, but it is also an interesting contribution to the literature on the politics of memory in Ireland as pioneered by writers such as Guy Beiner and Mary Daly.” —Ciaran Brady, author of Shane O'Neill“Though this particular area of inquiry is covered widely by historians, none in my survey of the literature have the depth, or breadth, of Derry City.” —Andrea Simpson, author of The Tie That Binds“Mapping an urban memoryscape to reveal a rich tapestry of traditions, Derry City is a sparkling demonstration of the value of public history.” —Guy Beiner, author of Forgetful Remembrance“Derry City reveals in heartbreaking and stunning detail how memory, in all of its multiple forms, serves as screen, catalyst, and infrastructure for our understanding of the Troubles—and how they continue to shape the present moment. A must-read for all still consumed by this not-so-distant past. —James E. Young, author of The Stages of Memory"Shea explores how Derry Catholics, despite being subordinated and repressed, first by the British and then by the Northern Ireland government after 1922, retained and actively expressed a nationalist cultural identity based on historical memories and family and community traditions. . . . This well-researched book is an important contribution to the study of Derry and to historical memory more broadly." —Choice"[This] account compels me not just because of my own history as a child of the Troubles, but also because of how it reinforces Shea’s uniqueness as an historian who gives ordinary voices their due." —The Typescript

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"The four writers of Faith, Nationalism, and the Future of Liberal Democracy, all of them religious, are unusually frank in recognizing the possible affinities between their religions and a nationalist politics. At the same time, they are wonderfully (and thankfully) persuasive in providing an account of Protestantism, Catholicism, and Judaism that can stand alongside and support liberal democracy." —Michael Walzer, author of The Paradox of Liberation "A timely, constructive, and empirically grounded exploration of the tensions among religion, identity, and liberal democracy in the United States and around the world." —Robert D. Putnam, co-author of American Grace"Engaging and insightful, Faith, Nationalism, and the Future of Liberal Democracy helps us recognize the striking patterns of dangerous nationalisms that threaten to divide humanity and distort democracy around the globe. The authors' comparative perspective helps us see our own context in a clearer light, and the activist reading of history and the present ask us, as readers and people of faith, to take action." —Jeannine Hill Fletcher, author of The Sin of White Supremacy“This is a solid, timely book on a surprisingly neglected topic: the religious views and responses to the rise across the West of national populism. It succeeds at being both a scholarly and an activist and prescriptive look at the Christian and Jewish reactions to the populist surge in the twenty-first century.” —José Pedro Zúquete, author of The Identitarians"It is vital for citizens of liberal democracies to understand the populist movements that are challenging democracy from within. By explaining how religion has been co-opted by nationalist populism, and by showing how religion can help provide an antidote to populism, this learned and insightful book helps us appreciate the dilemmas of contemporary democratic politics." —Andrew Preston, author of Sword of the Spirit, Shield of Faith"Faith, Nationalism, and the Future of Liberal Democracy is an impassioned defense of the sane and sound forms of religion that engender and protect democracy, human rights, and love of neighbor. It is obviously a labor of love produced by those who have lived their lives in support of those values that will mend our broken world." —Jim Winkler, president and general secretary, National Council of Churches"Faith, Nationalism, and the Future of Liberal Democracy . . . impart[s] a cogent, academic, and rich way of understanding how religion has been turned political weapon; it gives significant advice about what to do to address the problem . . . [and] explains how religious claims have been warped and understood to be more about belonging than believing." —Foreword Reviews (starred review)"In this trenchant analysis, Elcott . . . teams up with other researchers to explore the ways religion impacts politics in the U.S. and Europe. . . . This is a startling reminder of the insidious potential of religious identity being overtaken by extremist political forces." —Publishers Weekly"Elcott and his colleagues are to be commended for lobbying that religion, when properly practiced, exposes “divisions between 'us' and 'them' ” not as appeals to purity but exercises in apostasy. Hope, not fear, thus paves the way forward." —The Journal Gazette“Elcott and his colleagues . . . offer a broad perspective on how religious faith has been misused in the development of national identities. In rich, complex prose, the authors provide examples of how religion has been used for both good and evil in the development of nation states. Indeed, the authors are stark in highlighting the ways in which religious belief has been weaponized to promote intolerance and disenfranchisement.” —The Arlington Catholic Herald"Elcott and his coauthors have come together across religious and cultural divides and exemplified a clear commitment to liberal democracy. Their work challenges faith leaders and laypersons alike to do the same and join together across seemingly insurmountable boundaries to work towards a global emphasis on human rights and dignity for all people. " —Reading Religion"This book is a useful primer on how authoritarian leaders manipulate religion to encourage human division, tribalism, and nationalism and how religion offers the means to promote liberal democracy." —ChoiceTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: Why We Write 1. Facing Liberal Democracy’s Challenge: Why We Highlight The Role Of Religious Identity In Populist Nationalist Movements 2. How To Understand The Populism Of Europe 3. The Assault On Liberal Democracy In The United States 4. A Catholic Response To The Errors Of Catholic Nationalism 5. The Post-Holocaust Protestant Church As The Defender Of Pluralistic Democracy 6. Each Human Being As An Image Of God: A Jewish Response To Religious Nationalism Epilogue: Religious Leadership, Civil Discourse, And Democracy The Authors Bibliography Notes

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“The problem with America’s family order today is a failure to recognize genuine goods—and looking to the founding, Dabling shows, helps us to see dynamic models for reinvigorating family life. An indispensable book for anyone interested in reviving the family today.” —Scott Yenor, author of Family PoliticsTable of ContentsIntroduction: How Autonomy Conquered Love 1. Statecraft and the Background of American Marriage 2. The Founding of American Marriage 3. Coverture and Divorce Law Through the Progressive Era 4. Tocqueville’s Democratic Woman in the Early Republic 5. Divorce and Enduring Consent 6. Polygamy, Despotism and Marital Unity 7. Free Love and Marital Love: John Humphrey Noyes and Nathaniel Hawthorne 8. As Long as You Both Shall Choose: Marriage in the Progressive Era Conclusion

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Pastoral Power, Clerical State is an unrelenting display of scholarly excellence, rigorous analysis, and fluid precise prose. It not only advances our understanding of Pentecostal pastoral power and authority but also makes significant contributions to the study of rule and legitimacy in twenty-first-century African societies.” —Nimi Wariboko, author of The Pentecostal Hypothesis"In this highly stimulating and thought-provoking book, Ebenezer Obadare discusses the rise and all encompassing prominence of the Nigerian Pentecostal pastor. Obadare’s brilliantly written book provides a unique and original contribution to the understanding of the key role of the pastor when explaining the rise and influence of Pentecostalism in contemporary Nigeria and Africa." —Karen Lauterbach, author of Christianity, Wealth, and Spiritual Power in Ghana“Informed by an authoritative interdisciplinary social science analysis, critical reading of Africanist scholarship, wealth of eclectic primary source materials, and superior knowledge of Nigerian politics and society, Pastoral Power, Clerical State further underscores the crucial place of Nigeria’s Pentecostal movement in African religious and political studies. This exceptional book is intellectually sophisticated, analytically rigorous, and very well written.” —Olufemi Vaughan, author of Religion and the Making of Nigeria"In his second book focused on the rising popularity of the faith, Obadare argues that Pentecostal preachers have become figures of national authority and prestige, exercising more influence over Nigerian society and politics." —Foreign Affairs * Foreign Affairs *"Pastoral Power, Clerical State advances the ongoing debate on the significance and role of Pentecostalism in Africa. It will appeal to those interested in Pentecostal discourses and how they offer metaphysical interpretations that explain why prevailing socioeconomic and political conditions regarding poverty and underdevelopment exist in Africa." —Reading Religion * Reading Religion *"An interesting and important addition to the relatively limited literature on contemporary religion and politics, including democracy, in Africa." —Democratization * Democratization *"Obadare has done a service to scholars of global Christianity, African politics, gender studies, journalism and media, and religion and politics—all of whom will profit/prophet from engagement with this volume in their scholarship and courses."—Journal of Church and State"Advancing a bold argument and offering the kind of original insights that one has come to expect from Obadare’s scholarship, Pastoral Power, Clerical State combines page-turning storytelling, a sophisticated rendering of relevant literature, and astute analysis. The book is provocative and smart, as well as well written." — Journal of Religion in AfricaTable of ContentsIntroduction: Apprehending a Ubiquitous Subject 1. The Social Origins of Clerical Power in Nigeria 2. The Pastor as Political Entrepreneur 3. Erotic Pentecostalism: the Pastor as Sexual Object 4. When Women Rebel 5. Conclusion: Rule by Prodigy

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Pastoral Power, Clerical State is an unrelenting display of scholarly excellence, rigorous analysis, and fluid precise prose. It not only advances our understanding of Pentecostal pastoral power and authority but also makes significant contributions to the study of rule and legitimacy in twenty-first-century African societies.” —Nimi Wariboko, author of The Pentecostal Hypothesis"In this highly stimulating and thought-provoking book, Ebenezer Obadare discusses the rise and all encompassing prominence of the Nigerian Pentecostal pastor. Obadare’s brilliantly written book provides a unique and original contribution to the understanding of the key role of the pastor when explaining the rise and influence of Pentecostalism in contemporary Nigeria and Africa." —Karen Lauterbach, author of Christianity, Wealth, and Spiritual Power in Ghana“Informed by an authoritative interdisciplinary social science analysis, critical reading of Africanist scholarship, wealth of eclectic primary source materials, and superior knowledge of Nigerian politics and society, Pastoral Power, Clerical State further underscores the crucial place of Nigeria’s Pentecostal movement in African religious and political studies. This exceptional book is intellectually sophisticated, analytically rigorous, and very well written.” —Olufemi Vaughan, author of Religion and the Making of Nigeria"In his second book focused on the rising popularity of the faith, Obadare argues that Pentecostal preachers have become figures of national authority and prestige, exercising more influence over Nigerian society and politics." —Foreign Affairs * Foreign Affairs *"Pastoral Power, Clerical State advances the ongoing debate on the significance and role of Pentecostalism in Africa. It will appeal to those interested in Pentecostal discourses and how they offer metaphysical interpretations that explain why prevailing socioeconomic and political conditions regarding poverty and underdevelopment exist in Africa." —Reading Religion * Reading Religion *"An interesting and important addition to the relatively limited literature on contemporary religion and politics, including democracy, in Africa." —Democratization * Democratization *"Obadare has done a service to scholars of global Christianity, African politics, gender studies, journalism and media, and religion and politics—all of whom will profit/prophet from engagement with this volume in their scholarship and courses."—Journal of Church and State"Advancing a bold argument and offering the kind of original insights that one has come to expect from Obadare’s scholarship, Pastoral Power, Clerical State combines page-turning storytelling, a sophisticated rendering of relevant literature, and astute analysis. The book is provocative and smart, as well as well written." — Journal of Religion in AfricaTable of ContentsIntroduction: Apprehending a Ubiquitous Subject 1. The Social Origins of Clerical Power in Nigeria 2. The Pastor as Political Entrepreneur 3. Erotic Pentecostalism: the Pastor as Sexual Object 4. When Women Rebel 5. Conclusion: Rule by Prodigy

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“This book is a socially committed intellectual engagement with difficult solidarities and the way to reimagine them. It is precisely through the combination of superb scholarly research and sound caretaking that the authors help us have hope for the future by confronting the never-ending triumphalist discourses of modern coloniality.” —Santiago Slabodsky, author of Decolonial JudaismTable of ContentsIntroduction by Atalia Omer and Joshua Lupo 1. Broken Solidarities: Transnational Feminism, Islam, and “the Master’s House” by Perin Gürel 2. The Women’s March: A Reflection on Feminist Solidarity, Intersectional Critique, and Muslim Women’s Activism by Juliane Hammer 3. Transgressive Geography and Litmus Test Solidarity by Atalia Omer and Ruth Carmi 4. “To Confound White Christians”: Thinking with Claude McKay about Race, Catholic Enchantment, and Secularism by Brenna Moore 5. Seeing Solidarity by Melani McAlister

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“This book is a socially committed intellectual engagement with difficult solidarities and the way to reimagine them. It is precisely through the combination of superb scholarly research and sound caretaking that the authors help us have hope for the future by confronting the never-ending triumphalist discourses of modern coloniality.” —Santiago Slabodsky, author of Decolonial JudaismTable of ContentsIntroduction by Atalia Omer and Joshua Lupo 1. Broken Solidarities: Transnational Feminism, Islam, and “the Master’s House” by Perin Gürel 2. The Women’s March: A Reflection on Feminist Solidarity, Intersectional Critique, and Muslim Women’s Activism by Juliane Hammer 3. Transgressive Geography and Litmus Test Solidarity by Atalia Omer and Ruth Carmi 4. “To Confound White Christians”: Thinking with Claude McKay about Race, Catholic Enchantment, and Secularism by Brenna Moore 5. Seeing Solidarity by Melani McAlister

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Book SynopsisCorrin traces the evolution of Catholic social and theological thought from the end of World War II through the 1960s that culminated in Vatican Council II.Trade Review"In Catholic Progressives in England after Vatican II, Jay P. Corrin situates the journal Slant within the broad sweep of reformist Catholic thinkers and actors across the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. Drawing upon an impressive range of primary and secondary sources, both scholarly and journalistic, Corrin illuminates the journal's pivotal role in English Catholic liberal thought and action and the impact its contributors' ideas continue to exert across the decades." —Steve Rosswurm, Lake Forest College"This splendid book offers much more than the title suggests. To communicate an understanding of the radical English Catholics of the 1960s, the author presents an insightful study of English Catholicism and carefully documents that the great continental Catholic theologians and in particular the Second Vatican Council came to recognize the gospel as world-transforming divine message. I greatly enjoyed reading this book. In conservative times the memory of great moments of resistance to injustice and public lies nourishes such resistance in the present." —Gregory Baum, emeritus, McGill University"In this study, Jay P. Corrin describes the Catholic left movement, its leaders and their major ideas, and the broad, distinct but related contexts of post–Vatican II Catholicism, British politics, and the political and cultural left. The reader will have a full picture of the ideas of the Catholic left and full assessment of those ideas and the strengths and weaknesses of the movement. Catholic Progressives in England after Vatican II makes an original contribution to the fields of Catholic studies, religious history, and the history of the political 'left' in the United Kingdom." —David J. O'Brien, Loyola Professor of Roman Catholic Studies (emeritus), Holy Cross College"It's a fascinating story. . . . Corrin sets English Catholicism in the context of wider church history, taking us in a racy summary from the aloof authoritarianism of Pope Pius XII through to (in Corrin's view) the victory of the 'progressives' at Vatican II and the subsequent confusions created by the encyclical Humanae Vitae (1968). Corrin then turns to the Slant movement, drawing copiously on conversations and correspondence with participants, notably Terry Eagleton, Bernard Sharratt, Martin Shaw, Adrian and Angela Cunningham and Christopher Calnan. . . Corrin is readable and reliable." —The Tablet“Corrin’s book traces the growth and influence of a movement of progressive Catholics in England in the 1960s. . . . There is much to like about this book, particularly the discussion of the Chester Belloc tradition, the final chapter analyzing the failure of the movement, and—above all—the almost 100 pages of notes including many gems and showing enormous erudition.” —Theological Studies“Written from both scholarly and journalistic sources, Corrin’s book acquaints us with a comparatively unknown period in English Catholic history. More than a hundred pages of notes and a very thorough index complete the book. The book is strongly recommended for all Catholic college and university collections.” —Catholic Library World“. . . the book provides a useful guide to a subcurrent in the British Left, which is usually considered in purely secular terms. The copious notes and bibliography will undoubtedly provide useful avenues for further research.” —Journal of Church and State“Jay P. Corrin has produced a masterly exploration of a much neglected and yet deeply significant episode in English Catholicism, the post Vatican II attempts of a time but articulate and dedicated minority to transform the Roman Catholic Church into an agent of revolution. Corrin’s thoughtful analysis and careful scholarship provide telling insights into the thinking of a range of important Catholic intellectuals and theologians and also Marxists.” —Socialist History

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Book SynopsisThis work makes a richly humanitarian case for parental school choice, seeking to advance social justice and respect the dignity of parentsespecially those on the margins.For decades, arguments in favor of school choice have largely been advanced on the basis of utility or outcome rather than social justice and human dignity. The Case for Parental Choice: God, Family, and Educational Liberty offers a compelling and humanitarian alternative. This volume contains an edited collection of essays by John E. Coons, a visionary legal scholar and ardent supporter of what is perhaps best described as a social justice case for parental school choice. Few have written more prodigiously or prophetically about the need to give parentsparticularly poor parentspower over their children's schooling. Coons has been an advocate of school choice for over sixty years, and indeed remains one of the most articulate proponents of a case for school choice that promotes both low-income Trade Review“Few, if any, scholars possess more insights about parental school choice than John Coons. Beyond the philosophical, legal, and moral concerns surrounding choice, which Coons analyzes cogently, he also draws upon common-sense practicalities to cinch his many compelling arguments.” —Patrick J. Wolf, co-author of The School Choice Journey"Those looking for a better way to resolve differences, to transcend partisan narratives, and to promote a robust and pluralistic school system that engenders greater trust would be wise to consult Coons’s extensive scholarship. The Case for Parental Choice makes an elegant and accessible reintroduction to his work." —City JournalTable of ContentsForeword by the Editors Foreword by Jesse Choper Preface by John E. Coons Part 1. Religion, Liberty, and Education 1. Intellectual Liberty and the Schools 2. Making Schools Public 3. School Choice as Simple Justice 4. Education: Intimations of a Populist Rescue 5. Orphans of the Enlightenment: Belief and the Academy Part 2. Education and Community 6. Can Education Create Community? 7. Education: Nature, Nurture, and Gnosis 8. Magna Charter Part 3. Religion, Family, and Schools 9. Luck, Obedience, and the Vocation of the Childhood 10. The Religious Rights of Children 11. The Sovereign Parent Conclusion: Exit, with Spirit Appendix Soldiers and School Choice It Takes a Village? No, When It Comes to Schooling, It Takes Parents Public Schools and the Bingo Curriculum School Choice Restores Parental Responsibility MLK and God’s Schools Faith, School Choice, and Moral Foundations Of Civics and “Sects”: Debunking Another School Choice Myth Fear of Words Unspoken Equality, “Created Equality,” and the Case for School Choice A Tale of Two Turkeys On Teaching Human Equality School, Such a Trip Bibliographical Essay

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Book SynopsisGrdzelidze's study evaluates the present state of ecclesiology in the Orthodox Church, focusing on the history of autocephaly and its relationship with the rise of religious nationalism.To date, the Orthodox Church has not sufficiently addressed the pressing problem of religious nationalism. Tamara Grdzelidze's Ecclesial Boundaries and National Identity in the Orthodox Church fills this lacuna, offering a solution to the ecclesiological problems posed by the rise of group-related sentiment in Orthodox communities.Grdzelidze's monograph begins with an examination of the history of autocephaly and synodality in the Orthodox Church. As she explains, the political autonomy of local churches in the Eastern Roman Empire, which was later transformed into autocephaly, instinctively carried the kernel of group-related sentiments, whether national or ethnic. Over time, such sentiments have given rise to religious nationalism, which has further resulted in the inabiTrade Review“This book does not speak simply to an Orthodox audience or to ecclesiological issues. Engagement with this concept of autocephaly is crucial to understanding the role of religion in the politics of Russia and Eastern Europe.” —Aristotle Papanikolaou, co-editor of Fundamentalism or Tradition“This book is a precious exercise in building a bridge between different areas of global Christianity and even different areas within the Orthodox Churches.” —Massimo Faggioli, author of The Church in a Change of Era"The present crisis in Eastern Europe has highlighted the deep problems around the relation of Orthodox Christianity to state power and national mythology. In this wonderfully learned and wide-ranging book, Tamara Grdzelidze brings together historical, sociological, and theological reflections to argue that the connections between Orthodoxy and national identity are far more diverse and fluid than many imagine, and that it is time for some serious rethinking of conventional attitudes—and even canonical structures—in the Orthodox world. A vital book for understanding the current challenges in the Eastern Christian world." —Rowan Williams, 104th Archbishop of CanterburyTable of ContentsContents Introduction 1. Emerging Ecclesial Boundaries in the Eastern Roman Empire 2. National Borders and Secular Boundaries 3. Autocephaly and a Secular Age: painful adaptation to Pluralism 4. Autocephaly and Studying Nationalism/studies on N 5. Contextualization of Autocephaly: Russian Orthodox Church Orthodox Church of Georgia Orthodox Church of Ukraine 6. Eucharistic Vision as Hermeneutics for Orthodox Synodality Conclusions

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“In recent years, there has been a growing interest in women and gender issues, especially within the ambit of the law in precolonial and postcolonial Africa. The Politics of Gender Reform in West Africa reveals problems, contentions, and negotiations in the creation of these postcolonial laws, which is a valuable contribution to the ongoing scholarship in essentializing women’s voices.” —Bala Saho, author of Contours of Change"Throughout this short, readable book, Lado focuses particularly on the role of religion, most specifically the views of lay Muslims and Christians and religious leaders from both communities regarding their views of state-proposed gender reform. Recommended." —Choice"A helpful case study with which to consider alternative feminisms, the morality of universalist rights claims, and their effective implementation...a welcome contribution to an important topic." — Theological Studies JournalTable of ContentsList of Abbreviations List of Figures and Tables Acknowledgments Introduction: Domesticating Gendered Modernity 1. The Secular State in the 2013 Gender Reform 2. Negotiating Multiplicity: Authorities, Communities, and Identities 3. Religious and Secular Perspectives on Gender Reforms 4. Regional and Comparative Perspectives: Senegal, Mali and Niger Conclusion: Religion, the State, and Gender Reform in Sub-Saharan Africa References

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“In recent years, there has been a growing interest in women and gender issues, especially within the ambit of the law in precolonial and postcolonial Africa. The Politics of Gender Reform in West Africa reveals problems, contentions, and negotiations in the creation of these postcolonial laws, which is a valuable contribution to the ongoing scholarship in essentializing women’s voices.” —Bala Saho, author of Contours of Change"Throughout this short, readable book, Lado focuses particularly on the role of religion, most specifically the views of lay Muslims and Christians and religious leaders from both communities regarding their views of state-proposed gender reform. Recommended." —Choice"A helpful case study with which to consider alternative feminisms, the morality of universalist rights claims, and their effective implementation...a welcome contribution to an important topic." — Theological Studies JournalTable of ContentsList of Abbreviations List of Figures and Tables Acknowledgments Introduction: Domesticating Gendered Modernity 1. The Secular State in the 2013 Gender Reform 2. Negotiating Multiplicity: Authorities, Communities, and Identities 3. Religious and Secular Perspectives on Gender Reforms 4. Regional and Comparative Perspectives: Senegal, Mali and Niger Conclusion: Religion, the State, and Gender Reform in Sub-Saharan Africa References

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“At once granular and general, this thought-provoking compilation explores how the logic of White Christian nationalism operates in American and European politics today, sometimes hidden and sometimes hidden in plain sight. All too often, scholars of religion shy away from asking and answering normative questions—here they don’t.” —Ulrich Schmiedel, author of Terror und Theologie“Religion, Populism, and Modernity offers a multidisciplinary and contextually rich comparative study that moves the conversation beyond a priori assumptions and equips the reader with insights for better understanding the complexities that create and sustain White Christian nationalisms today.” —John A. Rees, author of Religion in International Politics and Development"This audacious volume offers an original and multisited perspective into the entanglements between whiteness, populism, Christianity, nationalism and secularism. By weaving threads throughout phenomena as diverse as Trumpism in the US, philosemitism in Poland or the far-right resistance to the ecological crisis, it compels us to critically address how race and coloniality are reenacted in complex and unexpected ways." —Nadia Fadil, author of Tegen Radicalisering"A useful collection of chapters by a group of very accomplished scholars. Each presents an authoritative account of their topic." — Party PoliticsTable of ContentsIntroduction to Meditations on Religion, Populism and Modernity: The Cultural Logic of White Christian Nationalisms by Atalia Omer and Joshua Lupo 1. Religious Nationalism and Right-Wing Populism: Trumpism and Beyond by Philip Gorski 2. Zombie Nationalism: The Sexual Politics of White Evangelical Christian Nihilism by Jason A. Springs 3. Re-Narrating the Past: The Case of ‘Modern’ ‘White’ ‘American’ Catholics by Scott Appleby 4. Constructing ‘Religion,’ Performing ‘The People’: Political Theology and the Paradox of Popular Sovereignty by Richard Amesbury 5. Anti/Philosemitism, Religion, and the Logic of Ethnic Nationalism in Poland by Geneviève Zubrzycki 6. The Pull to the Right of the Right, Religion, and the Ecological Crisis: Evaluating a Religio-Secular Perspective through a Reading of Bruno Latour’s Late Work by Yolande Jansen and Jasmijn Leeuwenkamp 7. Which Populism, Which Christianity? by Sindre Bangstad 8. Going Rogue on Islam: Derrida’s Muslim Hauntology & Nationalism’s Specters by Ebrahim Moosa

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“At once granular and general, this thought-provoking compilation explores how the logic of White Christian nationalism operates in American and European politics today, sometimes hidden and sometimes hidden in plain sight. All too often, scholars of religion shy away from asking and answering normative questions—here they don’t.” —Ulrich Schmiedel, author of Terror und Theologie“Religion, Populism, and Modernity offers a multidisciplinary and contextually rich comparative study that moves the conversation beyond a priori assumptions and equips the reader with insights for better understanding the complexities that create and sustain White Christian nationalisms today.” —John A. Rees, author of Religion in International Politics and Development"This audacious volume offers an original and multisited perspective into the entanglements between whiteness, populism, Christianity, nationalism and secularism. By weaving threads throughout phenomena as diverse as Trumpism in the US, philosemitism in Poland or the far-right resistance to the ecological crisis, it compels us to critically address how race and coloniality are reenacted in complex and unexpected ways." —Nadia Fadil, author of Tegen Radicalisering"A useful collection of chapters by a group of very accomplished scholars. Each presents an authoritative account of their topic." — Party PoliticsTable of ContentsIntroduction to Meditations on Religion, Populism and Modernity: The Cultural Logic of White Christian Nationalisms by Atalia Omer and Joshua Lupo 1. Religious Nationalism and Right-Wing Populism: Trumpism and Beyond by Philip Gorski 2. Zombie Nationalism: The Sexual Politics of White Evangelical Christian Nihilism by Jason A. Springs 3. Re-Narrating the Past: The Case of ‘Modern’ ‘White’ ‘American’ Catholics by Scott Appleby 4. Constructing ‘Religion,’ Performing ‘The People’: Political Theology and the Paradox of Popular Sovereignty by Richard Amesbury 5. Anti/Philosemitism, Religion, and the Logic of Ethnic Nationalism in Poland by Geneviève Zubrzycki 6. The Pull to the Right of the Right, Religion, and the Ecological Crisis: Evaluating a Religio-Secular Perspective through a Reading of Bruno Latour’s Late Work by Yolande Jansen and Jasmijn Leeuwenkamp 7. Which Populism, Which Christianity? by Sindre Bangstad 8. Going Rogue on Islam: Derrida’s Muslim Hauntology & Nationalism’s Specters by Ebrahim Moosa

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Book SynopsisExamines the global legal challenges faced by adherents of the most widely practiced religions of the African diaspora in the twenty-first century, including Santeria/Lucumi, Haitian Vodou, Candomblé, Palo Mayombe, Umbanda, Islam, Rastafari, Obeah, and Voodoo.Trade Review“A comprehensive and timely work that adds an unprecedented amount of evidence for the persistence of ‘religious racism’ against African-identified religions today. Boaz’s monograph is incredibly well-researched and should become a cornerstone of syllabi dealing with Africana religions.”—J. Brent Crosson Ethnic and Racial Studies“Provocative, timely, and accessibly written, this book makes important contributions to the study of religion and law and African diasporic religions that will also be of interest to scholars beyond those fields.”—Alexander Rocklin Nova Religio“Banning Black Gods does tremendous work in laying out a massive cross-cultural and transtemporal archive of legal cases that will allow for complicated intersectional questions about religious racism to be asked by future scholars. For that Danielle N. Boaz has done us a great service.”—Paul Christopher Johnson Journal of Church and State“Banning Black Gods is well worth reading for anyone interested in religion and law, Africana religions, religion and race, and many other fields. Boaz’s broad scope and bold insight combine to make a cogent case for religious racism as a framework for understanding the legal challenges faced by practitioners of African diaspora religions transnationally.”—Alexandria Griffin Reading Religion“Banning Black Gods is an original and venturesome text, testing just how far the concept of religious freedom might be extended. In these troubling times, this book will become an indispensable guide to help us understand the socio-legal realities for adherents of African-derived religions and the grounds on which legal protections are either offered or denied. Written in an accessible style, this book analyzes the legal and social landscape in many countries.”—Kathleen M. Moore,author of The Unfamiliar Abode: Islamic Law in the United States and Britain

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Book SynopsisA collection of essays examining transatlantic Quakerism in the eighteenth century, a period during which Quakers became increasingly sectarian even as they expanded their engagement with worldly affairs.Trade Review“Quakerism in the Atlantic World makes an invaluable contribution to Quaker history and scholarship, both in its own right and as a catalyst for further exploration and analysis of Quakerism during this period. At the very end of the book, Healey states that, for the contributors, what was perhaps most important, was opening up space for future research and dialogue. The collection certainly seems to meet that objective, and in time, it will no doubt be recognised as a book that stimulated the work of a new generation of scholars, and inaugurated a thorough-going reappraisal of Quakerism during the long eighteenth century.”—Stuart Masters Journal of the Friends Historical Society“This book will become a central work for a period of Quaker history that has lacked a comprehensive history to date.”—Thomas Hamm,author of The Quakers in AmericaTable of ContentsContentsAcknowledgementsList of AbbreviationsIntroductionRobynne Rogers HealeyPart 1: Unique Quaker Testimonies and Practices1. “Our Dear Friend Has Departed This Life”: Memorial Testimony Writing in the Long Eighteenth CenturyErica Canela and Robynne Rogers Healey2. “Within the Bounds of Their Circumstances”: The Testimony of Inequality Among Eighteenth-Century New England FriendsElizabeth Cazden3. Friendly Advice: The Making and Shaping of Quaker DisciplineAndrew Fincham4. Three Methods of Worship in Eighteenth-Century QuakerismJon MitchellPart 2: Tensions Between Quakerism in Community and Quakerism in the World5. “Mrs. Weaver Being a Quaker, Would Not Swear”: Representations of Quakers and Crime in the Metropolis, ca. 1696-1815Erin Bell6. Quakers and Marriage Legislation in England in the Long Eighteenth CenturyRosalind Johnson7. Family Unity, and Identity Formation: Eighteenth-Century Quaker Community BuildingEmma Lapsansky-WernerPart 3: Expressions of Quakerism Around the Atlantic World8. Quakers, Indigenous Americans, and the Landscape of PeaceGeoffrey Plank9. A Complex Faith: Strategies of Marriage, Family, and Community Among Upper Canadian Quakers, 1784-1830Sydney Harker and Robynne Rogers Healey10. Industrial Development and Community Responsibility: The Harford Family and South Wales, ca. 1768-1842Richard C. AllenConclusionRobynne Rogers HealeySelected BibliographyList of ContributorsIndex

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Book SynopsisExamines the global legal challenges faced by adherents of the most widely practiced religions of the African diaspora in the twenty-first century, including Santeria/Lucumi, Haitian Vodou, Candomblé, Palo Mayombe, Umbanda, Islam, Rastafari, Obeah, and Voodoo. Trade Review“A comprehensive and timely work that adds an unprecedented amount of evidence for the persistence of ‘religious racism’ against African-identified religions today. Boaz’s monograph is incredibly well-researched and should become a cornerstone of syllabi dealing with Africana religions.”—J. Brent Crosson Ethnic and Racial Studies“Provocative, timely, and accessibly written, this book makes important contributions to the study of religion and law and African diasporic religions that will also be of interest to scholars beyond those fields.”—Alexander Rocklin Nova Religio“Banning Black Gods does tremendous work in laying out a massive cross-cultural and transtemporal archive of legal cases that will allow for complicated intersectional questions about religious racism to be asked by future scholars. For that Danielle N. Boaz has done us a great service.”—Paul Christopher Johnson Journal of Church and State“Banning Black Gods is well worth reading for anyone interested in religion and law, Africana religions, religion and race, and many other fields. Boaz’s broad scope and bold insight combine to make a cogent case for religious racism as a framework for understanding the legal challenges faced by practitioners of African diaspora religions transnationally.”—Alexandria Griffin Reading Religion“Banning Black Gods is an original and venturesome text, testing just how far the concept of religious freedom might be extended. In these troubling times, this book will become an indispensable guide to help us understand the socio-legal realities for adherents of African-derived religions and the grounds on which legal protections are either offered or denied. Written in an accessible style, this book analyzes the legal and social landscape in many countries.”—Kathleen M. Moore,author of The Unfamiliar Abode: Islamic Law in the United States and Britain

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Book SynopsisOne of the UK's most respected cultural commentators offers a timely analysis of this burning question, exposing the shallow assumptions on either side of current debateTrade ReviewArgued with elegance and authority . . . refreshing and highly enjoyable * Melvyn Bragg *An admirably concise, thoughtful and fair discussion of the virtues and vices of a religious society. * Professor Iain McGilchrist, consultant psychiatrist and author of The Master and His Emissary *I love this book. It demolishes fashionable atheists who claim religion only does harm. It criticises extremists of all faiths who promote hatred and violence in the name of religion, and it praises, with caveats, those who seek meaning in their lives within a community, find something in the transcendent, and want to make the world a better place. * Rabbi Baroness Julia Neuberger DBE *Shortt is one of the UK's most thoughtful and self-effacing religious commentators * Michael Barnes, Professor of Interreligious Relations at Heythrop College, University of London. *Are the world's major religions forces for good or harm? Rupert Shortt provides a fascinating and enlightening discussion, summarising key arguments on both sides, with a much-needed appeal for a deeper conversation about religion and secularism. * Imam Dr Usama Hasan, Head of Islamic Studies, Quilliam International *A triumph of ambition and concision. * Lucy Beckett, author of In the Light of Christ: Writings in the Western Tradition *

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Book SynopsisHalf a century of thought-provoking broadcasting by BBC Radio 4’s landmark religious and ethical news programme SundayTrade Review"Not much can get a humanist out of bed early on a Sunday morning but Radio 4's Sunday programme does the job. In this book some of the most revealing and compelling of its ever-insightful reports remind us of how lucky we are to have it still on air." -- Andrew Copson, Chief Executive, Humanists UK"Essential reading for anyone attempting to grasp fully the historical and social complexities of the last few decades in which, despite the advance of secularism, faith still plays such a vital role." -- Ruth Gledhill, Assistant Editor, The Tablet and former religion editor for The Times"Full of fascinating interviews and perceptive reportage, it's nothing short of a social history of modern Britain, seen through the lens of religion, ethics and belief." -- Dilwar Hussain, Chair, New Horizons in British Islam"Stimulating and refreshing. The BBC at its most fearless in covering the key issues of faith in Britain." -- Sir Simon Jenkins FSA, FRSL, author and journalist"Powerfully illustrates the changing landscape of religion and demonstrates faith's vital past and continuing relevance to some of the most important issues of the day." -- Chine McDonald, writer, broadcaster and director of Theos, the religion and society think tank"Compelling insight and astute commentary on the politics, the commitment, and the hopes and the fears of people of faith and beyond over a fifty-year period." -- Baroness Neuberger DBE, Rabbi Emerita West London Synagogue

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Book SynopsisThis book depicts a national calamity in which sincere people followed their convictions to often tragic ends.Table of Contents Preface 1. The Ancestry of a Conflict 2. A New and Fertile Bloom 3. Of Men and Laws 4. "Mexico Needs a Tradition of Blood" 5. Cristo Rey and Capistran Garza 6. Stalemate 7. The Ambassador and the Priest 8. The Ways of Frustration 9. An Arrangement of Sorts 10. Trial by Peace Appendix. The June 21, 1929, Agreement Bibliographical Essay Materials Cited Index

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Book SynopsisWhether from the perspective of Islamic law's advocates, secularism's partisans, or communities caught in their crossfire, many people see the relationship between Islamic law and secularism as antagonistic and increasingly discordant. In the United States there are calls for sharia bans in the courts, in western Europe legal limitations have been imposed on mosques and the wearing of headscarves, and in the Arab Middle East conflicts between secularist old guards and Islamist revolutionaries persistsuggesting that previously unsteady coexistences are transforming into outright hostilities. Jeffrey Redding's exploration of India's non-state system of Muslim dispute resolutionknown as the dar-ul-qaza system and commonly referred to as Muslim courts or shariat courtschallenges conventional narratives about the inevitable opposition between Islamic law and secular forms of governance, demonstrating that Indian secular law and governance cannot work without the significant assistance of Trade Review"Redding provides thought-provoking cases and analyses, and these are riveting." * CHOICE *"[A] nuanced description of how the law works –not in isolation, in this or that state institution, but rather in interaction with society, its history, the political contestations, cultural factors and economic conditions. This is done through an ‘against the grain’ reading of unconventional materials to get a reasonable grasp of the uncertain, unfixed and unpredictable nature of the law." * Contemporary South Asia *"A Secular Need is a succinct text which engages with a plethora of difficult topics." * Reading Religion *"[A]n important addition to the burgeoning scholarship on Islamic law and secularism in India... Redding astutely captures how such long-standing anti-Muslim sentiments are mirrored in the state’s legal system, making this book essential reading for anyone interested in current debates on a range of interconnected topics: the ambiguities of secular law, Islamic divorce, constitutionalism, religious nationalism, and legal pluralism." * Journal of Asian Studies *"Redding draws a complex and multi-faceted picture of the secular Indian state’s ideological and material dependence on the Islamic non-state." * Indian Law Review *"A Secular Need opens up several new vistas on many well-known cases that deal with the role of Islamic personal status law in contemporary India. The study is based primarily on the careful reading of court documents, legal petitions and counterpetitions, and personal opinions of litigants in English and Urdu. Redding brings this material into conversation with ethnographic vignettes and interviews that add substantial nuance and texture to several carefully chosen cases. This important work adds to the growing body of scholarship that challenges the deeply-ingrained perception of secularism’s neutrality and desirable exclusivity." * Islamic Law and Society (ILS) *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Redding provides thought-provoking cases and analyses, and these are riveting." * CHOICE *"[A] nuanced description of how the law works –not in isolation, in this or that state institution, but rather in interaction with society, its history, the political contestations, cultural factors and economic conditions. This is done through an ‘against the grain’ reading of unconventional materials to get a reasonable grasp of the uncertain, unfixed and unpredictable nature of the law." * Contemporary South Asia *"A Secular Need is a succinct text which engages with a plethora of difficult topics." * Reading Religion *"[A]n important addition to the burgeoning scholarship on Islamic law and secularism in India... Redding astutely captures how such long-standing anti-Muslim sentiments are mirrored in the state’s legal system, making this book essential reading for anyone interested in current debates on a range of interconnected topics: the ambiguities of secular law, Islamic divorce, constitutionalism, religious nationalism, and legal pluralism." * Journal of Asian Studies *"Redding draws a complex and multi-faceted picture of the secular Indian state’s ideological and material dependence on the Islamic non-state." * Indian Law Review *"A Secular Need opens up several new vistas on many well-known cases that deal with the role of Islamic personal status law in contemporary India. The study is based primarily on the careful reading of court documents, legal petitions and counterpetitions, and personal opinions of litigants in English and Urdu. Redding brings this material into conversation with ethnographic vignettes and interviews that add substantial nuance and texture to several carefully chosen cases. This important work adds to the growing body of scholarship that challenges the deeply-ingrained perception of secularism’s neutrality and desirable exclusivity." * Islamic Law and Society (ILS) *

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Book SynopsisA landmark study offering an interpretation of the history of traditional Korea.Trade Review"A work of profound scholarship and meticulous research, this book is an extremely important study on an important subject and should be indispensable reading for anyone interested in the history of the Koryo and Choson dynasties. It is also an excellent comparative study of aspects of East Asian history and institutions." * Korean Studies *Table of ContentsList of TablesList of Genealogical chartsAcknowledgmentsIntroductionThe Koryo Political SystemThe Rise of a Central Bureaucratic AristocracyThe Yangban in the Change of DynastiesInstitutional Crisis in the Late KoryoReform and Dynastic ChangeThe ideology of ReformSome Final ConsiderationsNotesKorean Dynasties and KingsGlossary of Korean, Chinese, and Japanese TermsBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisInvestigates how literary and cinematic fictions intervene in the politics and reception of social suffering. With its interdisciplinary scope and historical perspective, this title focuses on central events such as the Partition of 1947, the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984, and religious conflicts between India and Pakistan.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: Who Owns Suffering? 1. Writing and Redemption 2. The Argument of Fiction 3. Murderous Fictions 4. The Momentary Pleasures of Reconcilation Coda Notes Bibliography Index

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Book Synopsisprovides an analysis of the structure and composition of Korea's central officialdom during the transition from the Koryo dynasty (918-1392) to the Choson dynasty (1392-1910) and offers an interpretation of the history of traditional Korea.Trade Review"A work of profound scholarship and meticulous research, this book is an extremely important study on an important subject and should be indispensable reading for anyone interested in the history of the Koryo and Choson dynasties. It is also an excellent comparative study of aspects of East Asian history and institutions." * Korean Studies *

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Book SynopsisAmid the rising nationalism and racial politics that culminated in World War II, European countries wishing to ‘purify’ their nations often forced unwanted populations to migrate. The targeted minorities had few options, but as R. Chris Davis shows, they sometimes used creative tactics to fight back.Trade ReviewAn authoritative examination of nation building and minority politics during some of Europe's most difficult years. Davis brings together so many significant historical themes that the story of these few villages makes us rethink modern European history." - Roland Clark, author of Holy Legionary Youth: Fascist Activism in Interwar Romania"This transnational case study makes larger, comprehensive arguments about Central and Eastern European nation building. It powerfully employs theory from history, anthropology, political science, and sociology to disentangle the conundrum of identity." - Calin Catoi, University of Bucharest"A remarkable combination of microhistorical richness and interpretive acumen, this is a beautifully written study of one of the 'little peoples lost to history,' caught between more powerful states' self-interested attempts to dictate their identity. It prises open the deceptively simple question 'who do you think you are?' to reveal startling contests over the meaning of identity in politics, language, and lived reality." - Jane Caplan, University of Oxford"Introduces fundamental questions of identity and belonging, asking us to consider the importance of language, religion, territory-and, no less, tradition and bias-as both building blocks and obstacles to ethnic community. A major contribution to debate on the meaning of collective identity and its deployment for political ends. Eloquent, original, sophisticated, and persuasive." - Dennis Deletant, Georgetown University

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Book SynopsisPhillip A. Cantrell II takes a critical look at the Anglican Church's crucial role in many aspects of Rwanda's history, particularly its complicity with the current Rwandan regime. He boldly illuminates the Anglican Church's culpability in the events leading to the genocide, calling attention to the consequences of the church's unwavering support for the Rwandan regime.Table of Contents Contents Preface Introduction 1. False Narratives of a Disputed Past: Precolonial Rwanda 2. History Intervenes: Colonialism, Christianity, and the Ruanda Mission 3. Growth, Revival, and Conflict: The Anglican Church through World War II 4. The Unravelling: The Ruanda Mission and Independence 5. Revival and Reconciliation: The Anglican Church in Post-genocide Rwanda Conclusions: History Faces the Present Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis mirror for princes sheds light on the relationship between spiritual and political authority in early modern EgyptTrade Review"A welcome and important contribution to the field. Because the work is explicitly devoted to guiding the relations between Sufi master and political ruler, a subject for which there are very few exemplars, and because of al-Sha‘rani’s location in time and place, this book constitutes an indispensable resource for understanding how late medieval Sufis themselves theorized this relationship. Sabra has done an excellent job of faithfully rendering the Arabic into clear, lively English prose.” --Nathan Hofer, University of Missouri -- Nathan Hofer"This book illuminates central problems, debates, and strategies regarding the relationship of religion to the state. The themes of religious authority in relation to political power and the proper practice of spiritual and ethical counsel will be of interest to students of cultural history. The Arabic text has recently been edited, and we are fortunate to now have this excellent English translation.” --Richard McGregor, Vanderbilt University -- Richard McGregor

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Rached Ghannouchi is one of the most influential, most interesting, and most promising thinkers and leaders of political Islam today. Finally, the magnum opus of his political thought on public and personal freedom is available in English. It is an important document for how human rights and freedoms can be squared with the claims of Islamic political movements.”—Frank Griffel, Yale University“Rached Ghannouchi presents the case for Islamic democracy in this in-depth study of public freedoms in an Islamic state. David Johnston’s clear translation should be read by anyone interested in the emerging movements of Muslim democrats.”—John O. Voll, coauthor of Islam and Democracy after the Arab Spring“Rached Ghannouchi is one of the world’s most influential Islamist thinkers, and his Public Freedoms in the Islamic State is essential reading for anyone interested in the relationship between Islam and democracy.”—Anne Wolf, author of Political Islam in Tunisia: The History of Ennahda

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Goodman’s thinking is original and daring, and his exposition clear and concise. The book is buzzing with eye-opening insights and satisfying turns of phrase.”—Robin Moss, Fathom“What a delight to once again read the wisdom, relish the immense scholarship, experience the passion, and hear the singular voice of Micah Goodman. The Wondering Jew is a modern Jewish classic, an essential read for all those who care about the future of Judaism, of Israel, and the Jewish people.”—Michael B. Oren, author of Six Days of War“With this masterwork, Goodman completes his great project, begun with his previous book, Catch-67, of analyzing and helping heal Israel’s political and cultural rifts. This book will help American readers understand why Micah Goodman is regarded by his fellow Israelis as one of the few indispensable voices of this generation.”—Yossi Klein Halevi, Shalom Hartman Institute and author of Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor“In The Wondering Jew, Micah Goodman tackles Israel’s religious-secular divide, pointing to the insights and contributions of each side, bravely imagining a renewed Israeli Judaism that might speak to and inspire both.”—Daniel Gordis, author of Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn“Fluidly written and brimming with original insights, this brilliant book acutely frames the contours of Israeli Jewish thought and identity.”—Yehudah Mirsky, Brandeis University, author of Rav Kook: Mystic in a Time of Revolution“What a joy it is to read Micah Goodman's calm, intelligent and authoritative analysis of the explosive divide between the religious and the secular. His cogent solutions offer healing and hope for all of society. This book is not just important--it's necessary.”—Francine Klagsbrun, author of Lioness: Golda Meir and the Nation of Israel

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Book SynopsisInvites readers to consider today’s timeless dilemmas of law and government, social justice, and human rights, through the perspective of the Hebrew Bible. By focusing on biblical narratives and literature, Daphne Barak-Erez is able to look beyond historic norms to concentrate on what Old Testament stories can reveal about the ‘big’ issues.Trade ReviewThis is an excellent introduction to law through biblical stories. At the same time, it is also a wonderful introduction to the Hebrew Bible through legal thinking." - Vered Karti Shemtov, Stanford University". . . takes well known biblical stories and trains the attention onto their legal significance, thereby offering a fresh and fascinating way of understanding them. Barak-Erez’ deep and deft analysis challenges us to think about the legal issues as if they happened today, understand their intricacy, and reflect upon the outcome." - Pnina Lahav, Boston UniversityTable of Contents Introduction Part I: Law and Government Part II: Judges and Judging Part III: Human Rights and Social Justice Part IV: Criminal Law Part V: Private Law Part VI: Family and Inheritance Law Epilogue Acknowledgments Index

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Book SynopsisCharting and interpreting the tendrils of religion and violence, this book reveals how formative moments of their intersection in American history have influenced the ideas, institutions, and identities associated with the United States. It shows how religion and violence provide crucial yet underutilized lenses for seeing America anew.Trade Review"An excellent study of the complex relationship between religion and violence... Highly recommended." -- J. R. Asher, Georgetown College ChoiceTable of ContentsForeword Martin E. Marty Preface Introduction. John Brown, Jeremiad, and Jihad: Reflections on Religion, Violence, and America John D. Carlson and Jonathan H. Ebel Part I. Religious Origins and Tropes of American Violence 1. From King Philip's War to September 11: Religion, Violence, and the American Way Andrew R. Murphy and Elizabeth Hanson 2. A Nation Birthed in Blood: Violent Cosmogonies and American Film S. Brent Rodriguez-Plate 3. From Covenant to Crusade and Back: American Christianity and the Late Great War Jonathan H. Ebel 4. From Jeremiad to Manifesto: The Rhetorical Evolution of John Foster Dulles's "Massive Retaliation" Ned O'Gorman 5. American Providence, American Violence Stephen H. Webb Part II. Religion and America's "Others" 6. New Israel, New Amalek: Biblical Exhortations to Religious Violence John Corrigan 7. Religion and Violence in Black and White Eddie S. Glaude Jr. 8. State Violence and the Un-American West: Mormons, American Indians, and Cults Todd M. Kerstetter 9. Alma White's Bloodless Warfare: Women and Violence in U.S. Religious History Lynn S. Neal 10. Of Tragedy and Its Aftermath: The Search for Religious Meaning in the Shootings at Virginia Tech Grace Y. Kao Part III. The Ethics of Violence and War 11. A Just or Holy War of Independence? The Revolution's Legacy for Religion, Violence, and American Exceptionalism John D. Carlson 12. Why War Is a Moral Necessity for America: Realism, Sacrifice, and the Civil War Stanley Hauerwas 13. Contemporary Warfare and American Efforts at Restraint James Turner Johnson 14. Enemies Near and Far: The United States and Its Muslim Allies in Radical Islamist Discourse Sohail H. Hashmi 15. Varieties of "Violence": Thinking Ethically about the Use of Force in the War on Terror Jean Bethke Elshtain Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisIn the global era, religion has leapt onto the world stage, often in contradictory ways. Some religious activists are antagonistic and engage in protests, violent acts, and political challenges. This book explores all of these directions, based on a five-year Luce Foundation project that involved religious leaders, scholars, and public figures.Trade Review"God in the Tumult of the Global Square brims with insights on every other page. It shows how global civil society grounded in shareable religious culture is feasible, combining voices from across the globe. It brilliantly maps the cultural lives of religion across the world with lucidity." -- Nagothu Naresh Kumar LSE Review of BooksTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: Thinking about Religion in the Global Age 1 * The Social Turmoil of the Twenty-First Century: Crises of Identity, Accountability, and Security 2 * Religion Tumbles and Turns: How Religion Has Been Affected by Global Forces 3 * Religion Resists and Soothes: Religious Responses to Globalization 4 * Cosmopolitan Religion at Work: How Religious Values Support Global Citizenship 5 * The Annoying Certainty of Global Views: The Dangers of Cultural Imperialism Conclusion: God in the Global Square Notes Bibliography List of Workshop Participants Index

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Book SynopsisExamines Hizmet, a Turkey-based but global movement dedicated to human service. This book represents a variety of disciplines, faiths, and nations and offer a wide range of narratives, analyses, and critiques.Trade Review"Given the current uncertainty in the Middle East, the book provides much needed perspectives on the relatively unknown, peaceable but not quietist, radical but not radicalized, and ecumenically-minded renewal movement among Muslims that nuances both the Orientalist and terrorist narratives so common in the Western media... [illuminates] an important new reli- gious movement in Turkish society." * Nova Religio *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction (Martin E. Marty) 1 * Hizmet among the Most Influential Religious Movements of Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish History (Carter Vaughn Findley)2 * Who Is Fethullah Gulen? An Overview of His Life (Marcia Hermansen)3 * The Institutions and Discourses of Hizmet Culture, and Their Discontents (Jeremy F. Walton)4 * The Role of Religion in the Gulen Movement (Zeki Saritoprak)5 * Building Bridges: Gulen Pontifex (Simon Robinson)6 * Ethics in the Theory and Practice of Hizmet (Radhi H. al-Mabuk)7 * Gulen as an Educator (Tom Gage)

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Book SynopsisExamines Hizmet, a Turkey-based but global movement dedicated to human service. This book represents a variety of disciplines, faiths, and nations and offer a wide range of narratives, analyses, and critiques.Trade Review"Given the current uncertainty in the Middle East, the book provides much needed perspectives on the relatively unknown, peaceable but not quietist, radical but not radicalized, and ecumenically-minded renewal movement among Muslims that nuances both the Orientalist and terrorist narratives so common in the Western media... [illuminates] an important new reli- gious movement in Turkish society." * Nova Religio *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction (Martin E. Marty) 1 * Hizmet among the Most Influential Religious Movements of Late Ottoman and Modern Turkish History (Carter Vaughn Findley)2 * Who Is Fethullah Gulen? An Overview of His Life (Marcia Hermansen)3 * The Institutions and Discourses of Hizmet Culture, and Their Discontents (Jeremy F. Walton)4 * The Role of Religion in the Gulen Movement (Zeki Saritoprak)5 * Building Bridges: Gulen Pontifex (Simon Robinson)6 * Ethics in the Theory and Practice of Hizmet (Radhi H. al-Mabuk)7 * Gulen as an Educator (Tom Gage)

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Book SynopsisTracing the rise and development of the Ghanaian video film industry between 1985 and 2010, this book examines video movies as seismographic devices recording a culture and society in turmoil. It also captures the process of film-making in Ghana.Trade Review"A thoughtful and theoretically powerful study, culminating two decades of fieldwork and movie-watching, of mediatization and materialization... An important contribution to the anthropology of religion, of popular media, of invented tradition, and of the cultural formation of the senses and experience." Anthropology Review Database "A rich account... the most sustained and theoretically sophisticated treatment of Christian popular culture in Africa to emerge to date and an important contribution to studies of religion and media." American Ethnologist "A fascinating and engaged ethnography of a crucial period in the Ghanaian film world." Marginalia "...will be regarded as both foundational and pioneering across multiple disciplines for years to come... it is how [Meyer] evaluates and hypothesizes the development of this cultural movement that places her work at the forefront of interdisciplinary research in Africa." Material ReligionTable of ContentsList of IllustrationsPrefaceAbbreviations Introduction 1 * The Video Film Industry 2 * Accra, Visions of the City 3 * Moving Pictures and Lived Experience4 * Film as Revelation 5 * Picturing the Occult6 * Animation 7 * Mediating Traditional Culture Epilogue Notes ReferencesFilmographyIndex

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Book SynopsisWhy did Donald Trump follow Barack Obama into the White House? Why is America so polarized? And how does American exceptionalism explain these social changes? In this provocative book, Mugambi Jouet describes why Americans are far more divided than other Westerners over basic issues, including wealth inequality, health care, climate change, evolution, gender roles, abortion, gay rights, sex, gun control, mass incarceration, the death penalty, torture, human rights, and war. Raised in Paris by a French mother and Kenyan father, Jouet then lived in the Bible Belt, Manhattan, and beyond. Drawing inspiration from Alexis de Tocqueville, he wields his multicultural sensibility to parse how the intense polarization of U.S. conservatives and liberals has become a key dimension of American exceptionalisman idea widely misunderstood as American superiority. While exceptionalism once was a source of strength, it may now spell decline, as unique features of U.S. history, politics, law, culture, religion, and race relations foster grave conflicts. They also shed light on the intriguing ideological evolution of American conservatism, which long predated Trumpism. Anti-intellectualism, conspiracy-mongering, a visceral suspicion of government, and Christian fundamentalism are far more common in America than the rest of the Western worldEurope, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Exceptional Americadissects the American soul, in all of its peculiar,clashing, and striking manifestations.Trade Review“A fresh contribution to the literature on US exceptionalism by exploring the divisions within US society over a range of key issues, including welfare, economic inequality, the justice system and foreign policy. Drawing on key facts and figures, Jouet presents an engaging analysis of the fundamental contradictions shaping the USA today. . . . Jouet’s book covers a wide range of subjects, including legal studies, political sociology/science, criminology, comparative studies, history and economics. This book will spark a renewed discussion about what makes America exceptional.” * London School of Economics Review of Books *"[Jouet] takes a long look at the notion of American exceptionalism in this thought-provoking new book. . . . he tackles his subject with a multicultural point of view, considering anti-intellectualism, fundamentalism, sex and gender roles and the politics of mass incarceration. The book takes the reader right up to the present; Jouet finished writing it just after the 2016 presidential election." * The Mercury News *“Exceptional America is the type of book with which you have to laugh in order not to cry.” * New York Journal of Books *"I found Jouet’s book to be engaging, easy-to-read, and thought provoking, and I found myself sharing many of the author’s intriguing statistics and findings out loud with my peers as I was reading. More importantly, though, Jouet unveils the forces driving political polarization and the kind of uniquely American beliefs that led to election of President Trump. He helps explain many far right stances that cosmopolitan liberals may otherwise dismiss as bigoted or uninformed." * Ameri Quests *"Exceptional America, deftly analyzing a host of peculiar features characterizing American society, should be read both by Americans wishing to reflect on the causes of their country’s profound polarization and by non-Americans seeking to better understand a nation that, despite its pervasive cultural influence, at times appears strange and unfathomable." * Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction 1 • One Nation, Divisible 2 • From the American Enlightenment to Anti-Intellectualism 3 • Th e Exceptional Influence of Christian Fundamentalism 4 • Th e Culture Wars of Faith, Sex, and Gender 5 • Between Democracy and Plutocracy 6 • Millions Standing against Their Own Economic Interest 7 • Mass Incarceration, Executions, and Gun Violence in “the Land of the Free” 8 • America and the World Conclusion Acknowledgments Notes Index

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Book SynopsisThrough two years of ethnographic fieldwork at a megachurch, sociologist Sarah Diefendorf investigates the ways in which the evangelical church is working to grow during a time in which cultural shifts are leading young people to leave religion behind. In order to expand, the church has revisited topics long understood as external threats to the organization, such as feminism, gender equality, racial inclusivity, and queer lifetopics Diefendorf classifies as the imagined secular in the minds of evangelicals. The Holy Vote shows, however, that the church continues to uphold already privileged identities even as it reworks its messages to appear more welcoming, offering insight into how White evangelical understandings about sex and families have shaped a political movement that has helped remake the Republican Party and transform American politics. In this enlightening work, Diefendorf highlights the complex origins of these understandings and considers their intersections with contemTrade Review"A keenly perceptive ethnographic study. . . . it should attract a wide range of readers, not just those interested in sociology of religion or White evangelicals, but anyone interested in the endurance of social inequalities." * Social Forces *Table of ContentsContents Acknowledgments 1. Good and Godly in Trump’s America 2. The Fear of Religious and Cultural Decline 3. The Imagined Secular: Confronting Feminism, Gender, and Family Life 4. White Evangelicals: Emotion Work and Racial Inequality 5. Sacred Sex: Marriage and Heterosexuality 6. We Aren’t the Extremists: Same-Sex Marriage and Changing Ideas of Sin 7. Enduring Inequalities in Unsettled Times Appendix A: Navigating Prayer, Positionality, and Institutional Review Appendix B: Participant Overview Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisGrounding their analysis in a deep understanding of the country’s past, leading scholars of Afghan history, politics, society, and culture show how the Taliban was less an attempt to revive a medieval theocracy than a dynamic, complex, and adaptive force rooted in the history of Afghanistan and shaped by modern international politics.Trade ReviewBringing the story of a poorly understood but suddenly vitally important political movement up to date, the authors provide new perspectives on a revitalized Taliban that again threatens the stability of Afghanistan and Pakistan. -- David Edwards, Williams CollegeTarzi and Crews' account of the Taliban's historical and political evolution provides a most useful and important perspective on strategic thinking. Issues that bedeviled the Taliban endure, and this timely book underlines the scope of the problem. -- Ronald E. Neumann, former Ambassador to AfghanistanHistorian Crews and reporter Tarzi have assembled eight revealing essays on this widely reviled movement...The authors' 58-page introduction adds additional clarity and context to Afghanistan's tortured history, making for an engrossing read. * Publishers Weekly *The Taliban and the Crisis of Afghanistan is of great value and highly welcome...Historically, successful counter-insurgency depends on striking political deals with parts of the insurgency. For that to happen, NATO needs to know its enemy. This volume makes a great contribution towards understanding the Taliban and the insurgency. -- Timo Noetzel * World Today *Table of ContentsIntroduction Robert D. Crews and Amin Tarzi 1. Explaining the Taliban's Ability to Mobilize the Pashtuns Abdulkader Sinno 2. The Rise and Fall of the Taliban Neamatollah Nojumi 3. The Taliban, Women, and the Hegelian Private Sphere Juan R. I. Cole 4. Taliban and Talibanism in Historical Perspective M. Nazif Shahrani 5. Remembering the Taliban Lutz Rzehak 6. Fraternity, Power, and Time in Central Asia Robert L. Canfield 7. Moderate Taliban? Robert D. Crews 8. The Neo-Taliban Amin Tarzi Epilogue: Afghanistan and the Pax Americana Atiq Sarwari and Robert D. Crews Notes Contributors Acknowledgments Index

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Book SynopsisChinese officials devoted significant time and energy to performing religious rituals on behalf of the state. Snyder-Reinke’s groundbreaking study explores this underappreciated aspect of Chinese political life by investigating rainmaking activities organized or conducted by local officials in the Qing dynasty.

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Book SynopsisFor the first time, the national constitution's religion clauses were extended by the United States Supreme Court to all state and local governments. This title tells the stories of passionate believers who turned to the law and the courts to facilitate a diversity of spiritual practice.Trade ReviewA masterful study…insightful and provocative, well-written and entertaining. I know of no other book like it. -- Mark Silk, author of One Nation, Divisible: How Regional Religious Differences Shape American PoliticsThis dazzling book explores the Jehovah's Witnesses, Black Muslims, white evangelical Protestant women, and others who, beginning in the 1940s, made law crucial to religious life. It is a wonderful read that brilliantly illuminates the creative tension between law and religion in recent American history. -- Laura Kalman, Professor of History, University of California, Santa BarbaraGordon puts flesh and blood on the most heated law and religion disputes of the last seven decades. Looking at these disputes primarily through the religious eyes of colorful activists committed to making a constitutional difference, she makes legal and religious history come alive in an important and engaging way. -- Steve Shiffrin, author of The Religious Left and Church-State RelationsGordon demonstrates how the dazzling variety of religious expression in America since the 1930s has outpaced the capacity of judges and legal theorists to construct a stable constitutional law of religion. By implication, the book also raises questions about whether any constitutional theory can keep pace with the dynamic pluralism of American constitutional argument. -- William E. Nelson, Weinfeld Professor of Law, New York University School of LawBy exploring the odd and interesting lives and lawsuits of dissenting twentieth-century believers, Sarah Barringer Gordon provides us with a novel and compelling modern constitutional history of American religion. -- Hendrik Hartog, author of Man and Wife in America: A HistorySally Gordon turns the accepted wisdom neatly on its head by demonstrating that it is the extraordinary power of the religious impulse that has shaped--and continues to shape--American law, not the other way around...[An] excellent book. -- Burt Neuborne * Forward *The Spirit of the Law subtly suggests that the era of strong evangelical influence in America culture may be at least temporarily over. -- David Skeel * Books & Culture *Table of Contents* Preface * The New Constitutional World * The Worship of Idols * The Almighty and the Dollar * Faith as Liberation * Holy War * Covenants of Love * Epilogue * Notes * Acknowledgments * Index

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Book SynopsisLegal scholars expect to resolve religious dilemmas according to principles of equality, neutrality, or separation of church and state. But such abstractions fail to do justice to the clashing values in today's pluralistic society. Marc DeGirolami explains why conflicts implicating religious liberty are so emotionally fraught and deeply contested.Trade ReviewOne of the best recent books on constitutional law. -- Adam J. White * Weekly Standard *DeGirolami’s Tragedy is perhaps the single best exposition of ‘Burkean constitutionalism’ in decades… It is the most nuanced, thoughtful, and effective explanation of ‘Burkean’ jurisprudence in a generation, and it deserves the widest possible audience. -- Adam J. White * Commentary *DeGirolami’s is a thoughtful and sophisticated meditation on the protean relationship between law and faith in a society committed to religious freedom. His intellectual and cultural influences are broad and rewarding; his style is rich and accessible; and his critique of both theoretical foundationalism and skepticism is profound and compelling. The Tragedy of Religious Freedom is an important book that will undoubtedly influence and enrich this discussion for years to come. -- Ian Bartrum * Journal of Church and State *DeGirolami sharply criticizes the current state of legal theory regarding religious freedom in the U.S. and offers a solution he claims will cure many present ills. -- M. D. Brewer * Choice *A sophisticated and thoughtful book, which offers fresh insights on a central question of religious liberty. -- Philip Hamburger, author of Separation of Church and StateThe Tragedy of Religious Freedom is a first-rate contribution to the law-and-religion conversation. This conversation—how to think about, and how to effectively protect in law, religious freedom in a constitutional democracy—is a lively and timely one, and DeGirolami is an impressive participant. -- Richard W. Garnett, Notre Dame Law School

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Book SynopsisThough James II is often depicted as a Catholic despot who imposed his faith, Scott Sowerby reveals a king ahead of his time who pressed for religious toleration at the expense of his throne. The Glorious Revolution was in fact a conservative counter-revolution against the movement for enlightened reform that James himself encouraged and sustained.Trade ReviewScott Sowerby's able and important work, drawn from an impressive array of primary sources, tells a story quite different from the conventional, but still repeated, version of [James II's] short reign. Sowerby's is a James who tried to build consensus and was met by disaffected individuals who manufactured a sense of grievance; a James who was not vindictive, and, seeking reconciliation, often stopped short of counter-measures he might have taken. It was James, not William of Orange, who constructed a reform movement: the attempt to repeal the Test and Corporation Acts and to build a religiously plural society. -- Jonathan Clark * Times Literary Supplement *On the strength of this excellent book we can conclude that [James II] was far more intelligent than is usually supposed and we are reminded that he emptied more prison cells than he filled. As for the 'Repealers' of the book's sub-title, Sowerby provides an extraordinarily detailed portrait of this plucky band of religious dissenters who recognized that history might finally be on their side. It should also be mentioned that the extent of Sowerby's archival wanderings--he visited no fewer than 138 manuscript depositories--is phenomenal. -- Jonathan Wright * Catholic Herald *This clearly written, impressively researched book turns traditional interpretations of the rise of religious toleration and the reign of James II on their heads. Sowerby reconstructs the repealer movement from a variety of printed and archival sources, demonstrating that the Glorious Revolution of 1688 was, in fact, a counter-revolutionary movement opposing the political movement for toleration of nonconformists that James himself sponsored... [Sowerby's] analysis of James's attempts to shape popular opinion casts doubt on views of James as merely a failed absolutist monarch out of touch with his people. The book will interest students and scholars of British politics, religious toleration, and pluralism, and the relationship between memory and the writing of history. -- J. W. McCormack * Choice *A sophisticated account of a much-neglected chapter in English history. Sowerby reshapes our perceptions of both the Glorious Revolution and religious toleration in early modern Europe. Moreover, this book will greatly expand our understanding of the intellectual range and political impact of the early Enlightenment. -- Brian Cowan, McGill UniversityOne of the lasting consequences of the Glorious Revolution in England was the Toleration Act of 1689, which granted freedom of worship, but not full political rights, to almost all Protestant Dissenters, but not Roman Catholics. It is generally recognized that this Act was Parliament's response to James II's campaign to secure toleration and political rights for both Dissenters and Catholics by repealing the penal laws and Test Acts. This important new book, by a talented young historian, systematically examines the supporters of repeal and argues that their importance, and their significance in the Revolution, have been underestimated. -- John Miller, Queen Mary, University of LondonBold and provocative…[Sowerby] regards the repealers and their ideas as precursors to the Enlightenment, with its concern for religious toleration and freedom of conscience. The undoubted achievement of Sowerby’s research is to demonstrate that the repealers’ cause was buttressed by a well-thought-out set of religious and political points. -- Jeremy Gregory * Church Times *

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