Religion and politics Books

Book Synopsis“In this fascinating book, Madeleine Albright weaves together history, personal experiences, and brilliant analysis in exploring how religion can be a force for liberty and tolerance rather than oppression and terror. -- Walter Isaacson, author of The Code BreakerThe New York Times bestselling author and former secretary of state Madeleine Albright offers a provocative and very personal look at the role of religion in America’s foreign policyTraditionally, America’s foreign policy professionals have sought to downplay the impact of religious beliefs in international affairs. Reinforced by the constitutional separation between church and state, policymakers have shied away from this potentially volatile and divisive issue. In this timely precient book, one of the most renowned figures in American politic argues that in today’s climate, a secular approach is no longer sufficient.

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Book SynopsisWhy does religion sometimes increase support for democracy and sometimes do just the opposite? In Faith in Numbers, political scientist Michael Hoffman presents a theory of religion, group interest, and democracy. Focusing on communal religion, he demonstrates that the effect of communal prayer on support for democracy depends on the interests of the religious group in question. For members of groups who would benefit from democracy, communal prayer increases support for democratic institutions; for citizens whose groups would lose privileges in the event of democratic reforms, the opposite effect is present. Using a variety of data sources, Hoffman illustrates these claims in multiple contexts. He places particular emphasis on his study of Lebanon and Iraq, two countries in which sectarian divisions have played a major role in political development, by utilizing both existing and original surveys. By examining religious and political preferences among both Muslims and non-Muslims in several religiously diverse settings, Faith in Numbers shows that theological explanations of religion and democracy are inadequate. Rather, it demonstrates that religious identities and sectarian interests play a major part in determining regime preferences and illustrates how Islam in particular can be mobilized for both pro- and anti-democratic purposes. It finds that Muslim religious practice is not necessarily anti-democratic; in fact, in a number of settings, practicing Muslims are considerably more supportive of democracy than their secular counterparts. Theological differences alone do not determine whether members of religious groups tend to support or oppose democracy; rather, their participation in communal worship motivates them to view democracy through a sectarian lens.Table of ContentsList of Figures List of Tables Introduction An Interest-Based Theory of Religion and Support for Democracy The Religious Experience: Communal Prayer and Group Identity Christians and Muslims in Lebanon Before the Syrian Civil War Appendices Appendix 4.A Survey Questions Used Appendix 4.B Supplementary Tables After Syria: Communal Religion and Democracy in 2014 Lebanon Appendices Appendix 5.A Description of Experiment Appendix 5.B Description of Variables Representation or Redistribution? Evidence from Iraq Appendices Appendix 6.A Supplementary Tables and Figures Conclusion: Implications for Religion and Politics Appendices Appendix 7.A Additional Information, Cross-National Notes Index

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Book SynopsisFocusing on the contribution of preacher and politician Paul Peter Waldenström, this is an examination of the role of the Swedish Church in the emergence of political pluralism and social democracy in 19th and early 20th century Sweden.Trade Review"Plurality - of perspectives, principles, and persons - is a fact, not an option. So is the intense religiosity of millions amidst a 'secular age.' Safstrom's measured and finely written study of Waldenström not only vindicates a largely forgotten thinker, preacher, and politician, but makes one of the best cases I have read for pluralism as an ethic fit for the facts of plurality, and Christianity as a basis for democracy." Ned O'Gorman, Conrad Humanities Professorial Scholar, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign In the nineteenth century, Sweden went through a fundamental social and economic transformation and by the mid-twentieth century, it had emerged as an influential model of social progress. In this fresh and insightful book, Safstrom highlights the interrelations between religion and politics for these processes." Dag Blanck, Swedish Institute for North American Studies, Department of English at Uppsala UniversityTable of ContentsList of Figures and Tables Acknowledgments Introduction Part I: Crafting a Strategy of Pluralism Chapter 1: Locating 'The Middle Way' in Waldenström's Discourse Chapter 2: Modeling Pluralism through Allegory - Squire Adamsson Part II: Separating Church and State Chapter 3: Pietism as the Re-Emergence of Religious Pluralism in Sweden Chapter 4: Print Media and the Mobilization of Reform Chapter 5: Religion in Public: 'Private Matter' or 'Matter of Conscience'? Chapter 6: On Conscience and the Rights of Dissenters Chapter 7: The Limits of Democracy in the Kingdom of Christ Part III: Brokering Confrontation and Exchange: Pietism and Socialism Chapter 8: Pluralism as Productive Tension Chapter 9: Branting v. Waldenström: The Debate to Define Absolutism and Moralism Chapter 10: The Impact of the Free-Church Vote Chapter 11: Majoritarianism v. Proportionalism: Making Space for Dissent Chapter 12: An Exchange of Words: A Re-Socialized Christian Vocabulary and a Democratized Socialist One Part IV: Tempering the Politics of Temperance Chapter 13: Defining Moderate v. Absolutist Abstinence Politics Chapter 14: Pragmatism and Experimentation with Best Practices Chapter 15: A Preference for Education over Legislation Conclusion Endnotes Bibliography

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Book SynopsisAvailable for the first time in English language translation, the third volume of Totalitarianism and Political Religions completes the set. It provides a comprehensive overview of key theories and theorists of totalitarianism and of political religions, from Hannah Arendt and Raymond Aron to Leo Strauss and Simone Weill. Edited by the eminent Professor Hans Maier, it represents a major study, examining how new models for understanding political history arose from the experience of modern despotic regimes. Where volumes one and two were concerned with questioning the common elements between twentieth century despotic regimes - Communism, Fascism, National Socialism, Maoism â this volume draws a general balance. It brings together the findings of research undertaken during the decade 1992-2002 with the cooperation of leading philosophers, historians and social scientists for the Institute of Philosophy at the University of Munich.Following the demise of Italian Fascism (1943-45), German National Socialism (1945) and Soviet Communism (1989-91), a comparative approach to the three regimes is possible. A broad field of interpretation of the entire phenomenon of totalitarian and political religions opens up. This comprehensive study examines a vast topic which affects the political and historical landscape over the whole of the last century. Moreover, dictatorships and their motivations are still present in current affairs, today in the twenty-first century. The three volumes of Totalitarianism and Political Religions are a vital resource for scholars of fascism, Nazism, communism, totalitarianism, comparative politics and political theory.Table of Contents1. Introduction: On the Interpretation of Totalitarian Rule 2. The Classical Understanding of Tyranny and Despotism 3. The New Approaches 4. On the Concept and Theory of Political Religions 5. Fascism and Non-Democratic Regimes 6. Interpreters of Totalitarianism: A Lexicographical Survey 7. Bibliographic Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Through his narration of events great and small, Jordan evokes the mood of an age... He effortlessly covers a lot of ground in relatively few pages and there is an attractive economy to his stimulating treatment of subjects that come with considerable historiographical baggage. His book ought to have a wide readership of students and scholars alike."--Patrick Nold, H-France Review "Jordan opens a window on a remote time. It is Jordan's genius to spot that window, his achievement to let us peer through. That alone makes this work a valuable contribution to our historical perspective. It adds yet another piece to our understanding of a critical and enigmatic period."--Alan Friedlander, American Historical Review "In this book of modest size, Jordan succeeds in leading the modern reader into the world, work, and concerns of a fourteenth-century monk and scholar who occupied a not-insignificant place in the intellectual and political life of his time. Jordan's study provides new insights into debates and dissent over major church issues in the age of the last Capetians."--Kathryn L. Reyerson, SpeculumTable of Contents*FrontMatter, pg. i*CONTENTS, pg. vii*PREFACE, pg. ix*ACKNOWLEDGMENTS, pg. xiii*CHAPTER 1. Encroachments on Ecclesiastical Authority: Taxation, Clerical Immunity, and the Jews, pg. 1*CHAPTER 2. The Pope in Avignon and the Crisis of the Templars, pg. 18*CHAPTER 3. The Exemption Controversy at the Council of Vienne, pg. 37*CHAPTER 4. An Uneasy Relationship: Church and State at the Cistercian Abbey of Sainte-Marie of Chaalis, pg. 56*CHAPTER 5. Old Fights and New: From Exemption to Usus pauper, pg. 73*EPILOGUE: Unceasing Strife, Unending Fear, pg. 98*NOTES, pg. 105*BIBLIOGRAPHY, pg. 137*INDEX, pg. 151

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Book SynopsisAli Rahnema is Emeritus Professor at the American University of Paris, France. He is the author of The Rise of Modern Despotism in Iran (2021), Call to Arms: Iran's Marxist Revolutionaries (2021), Behind the 1953 Coup in Iran: Thugs, Turncoats, Soldiers, and Spooks (2015), Superstition as Ideology in Iranian Politics: From Majlesi to Ahmadinejad (2011), and An Islamic Utopian: A Political Biography of Ali Shariati (2000) among others.Trade ReviewThe product of thirty-five years of teaching and research, this text book is ideal for introducing students to the history of modern Iran. * Dr Roham Alvandi, London School of Economics, UK *By drawing on a wealth of primary and secondary source material Ali Rahnema offers a highly accessible and informative textbook, a lucid survey of Iran’s political history in the twentieth century to the present. * Ali Gheissari, Professor, University of San Diego, USA *An outstanding feat of scholarship and pedagogy, this remarkable textbook of modern history guides students through Iran's intertwined political, social, economic, intellectual and religious histories of the past 100 years in an engaging and straightforward language framed by a wealth of vivid excerpts from contemporary accounts, helpful explanatory sidebars and comprehensive sets of analytical and discussions questions that both students and instructors will come to appreciate. * Iago Gocheleishvili, Senior Lecturer, Cornell University, USA *Exhibiting concision, depth of research, elegant prose, and intellectual acumen in every page, this textbook is a much-needed resource for understanding modern Iran’s political history and its developmental trajectories from the outset of the twentieth century to the present. Ali Rahnema has once again produced a work of impressive range and great analytical subtlety that is destined to become a staple of Iranian Studies syllabi the world over. * Hussein Banai, Associate Professor, Indiana University Bloomington, USA *Table of ContentsList of Figures Acknowledgements INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1: THE QUEST FOR A CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY UNDER THE QAJARS: (1905-1911) CHAPTER 2: A STATE MADE DYSFUNCTIONAL (1912-1921) CHAPTER 3: REZA SHAH: NATION BUILDING, REPRESSION, EUROPEANIZATION AND MODERNIZATION. (1921-1941) CHAPTER 4. MOHAMMAD REZA SHAH: FOREIGN INVASION, OIL NATIONALIZATION AND THE COUP (1941-1953) CHAPTER 5: FROM POST-COUP TO POST-UPRISING (AUGUST 1953- JUNE 1963) CHAPTER 6: THE SHAH’S PUSH TOWARDS THE GATES OF THE GREAT CIVILIZATION (1964-1977) CHAPTER 7: THE REVOLUTIONARY TRANSITION FROM MONARCHY TO REPUBLIC (MARCH 1977- MARCH 1979) CHAPTER 8: KHOMEYNI’S ISLAMIC REPUBLIC (1979-1989) CHAPTER 9: PRESIDENT RAFSANJANI, THE CRUSADER OF CONSTRUCTION (1989-1997) CHAPTER 10: KHATAMI’S PRESIDENCY: A DEMOCRATIC OPPORTUNITY DEFLECTED AND FOREGONE (1997-2005) CHAPTER 11: THE AHMADINEJAD PRESIDENCY (2005-2013) CHAPTER 12: ROWHANI: SMILES, HOPE AND MODERATION DASHED (2013-2021) Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisLong-standing, award-winning Muslim human rights campaigner Sara Khan courageously takes on the extremists within her faith whose ideology has made it easier for terrorists to recruit young Britons. This important and timely book will be a major news story this autumn.Trade Review'Sara Khan is a fearless and principled voice in the struggle for the soul of Islam. Everyone who cares about combatting prejudice should read her, befriend her and fight alongside her.' Nick Cohen; 'An important book from a tireless campaigner' Mishal Husain; 'This is an important book full of compelling, disturbing and inspirational material, required reading to understand what is happening in our midst and what we can do about it.' Sunday Times; 'Deserves a wide audience.' Mail on Sunday; 'A fascinating book [by] one of the UK's most influential counter-extremism voices.' Dermot Murnaghan, Sky News; 'An impresive book. [This book] deftly examines the roots and growth of Muslim extremism in the UK and would have been invaluable for that alone. But it stands for something more. It is a powerful cri de coeur. British society, Khan urges, must stand with reforming Muslims otherwise "extremists are the ones who will be left to define British Islam".' TLSTable of ContentsAcknowledgements 9; A Note on Terms 11;Introduction 15; 1. Race to your Caliphate: The Rise of Islamist Extremism 25; 2. British Salafists and Islamists: The Growing Convergence 51; 3. The Islamist-Led Assault on Prevent 87; 4. Identity Politics: Islamism and the Ultra Left, the Far Right and Feminists 119; 5. Voices from the Frontline 151; Conclusion: Winning the Battle against Extremism 175; About the Authors 197; Notes 199; Bibliography 235; Index 243

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Book SynopsisJonathan M. Golden is Director of the Center on Religion, Culture, and Conflict at Drew University, USA, where he teaches comparative religion, anthropology, and conflict resolution.Joseph J. McCallister is a teacher of English and language arts at Northern Valley Regional High School in Demarest, New Jersey, USA, and is a doctoral candidate at Drew University, USA.Table of ContentsAlphabetical List of Entries Topical List of Entries Series Foreword Preface Overview Chronology A to Z Annotated Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTitus Hjelm is Lecturer in Finnish Society and Culture at University College London, UK.Trade Review[I]t is [the] eclecticism that is one of the main appeals of the book. There is something to interest everyone, and younger researchers or those new to the field of sociology of religion will find it particularly helpful. * Sociology of Religion *This collection is outstanding: lively, timely, wide-ranging, probing and sceptical about woolly notions of religion’s return to the public sphere. It’s a must-read book for anyone with interests in religion as a social fact. -- James A. Beckford, Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of Warwick, UKTable of Contents1. Is God Back? Reconsidering the New Visibility of Religion , Titus Hjelm (UCL, UK) Part I: Conceptualizing Public Religion 2. Studying Public Religions: Visibility, Authority and the Public/Private Distinction, Marta Axner (Uppsala University, Sweden) 3. Conceptualizing the Public in Mediatized Religion, Mia Löveheim (Uppsala University, Sweden) and Alf Linderman (Uppsala Universitym, Sweden) 4. Religious Cleavages and National Identity in European Civil Societies, Annette Schnabel (Bergische Universität Wuppertal,Germany) 5. Illiberal Secularism? Pro-Faith Discourse in the United Kingdom, Steven Kettell (University of Warwick, UK) 6. Negotiating the Public and Private in Everyday Evangelicalism, Anna Strhan (University ofKent, UK) 7. The Gods Are Back: Nationalism and Transnationalism in Contemporary Pagan and Native Faith Groups in Europe, Kathryn Rountree (Massey University, New Zealand) Part II: Rethinking the Religion-State Relationship 8. Religion and the State in the 21st Century:the Alternative between Laicité and Religious Freedom, Luca Diotallevi (University of Rome TRE) 9. The Sacred State: Religion, Ritual and Power in the United Kingdom, Norman Bonney (Edinburgh Napier University, UK) 10. Social Class and Christianity: Imagining Sovereignty and Scottish Independence, Paul Gilfillian (Queen Margaret University, UK) 11. National Piety: Religious Equality, Freedom of Religion and National Identity in Finnish Political Discourse, Titus Hjelm (UCL, UK) 12. Religion, Democracy and the Challenge of the Arab Spring, Ian Morrison (American University in Cairo, Egypt) Part III:Religion and Social Action 13. Social Welfare Provision and Islamic Social Movements in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA): A Viable Form of Social Action?, Rana Jawad (University of Bath, UK) 14. Understanding Definitions and Experiences of Care and Caring amongst Hindu and Muslim Older People: The Role of Ethnicity and Religion, Akile Ahmet (Brunel University London, UK) and Christina Victor (Brunel University London, UK) 15. Religion and Transnational Roma Mobilization: From Local Religious Participation to Transnational Social Activism in the Case of the Finnish Roma, Raluca Bianca Roman (University of St Andrews, UK) 16. Finding God in the Process: Recovery from Addiction in Sarajevo, Eleanor Ryan-Saha (Durham University, UK) Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn states in which the public role of religion is controversial, religious instruction becomes both a means and an end of politics. This groundbreaking collection of case studies drawn from Arab, Asian and European countries examines different aspects of religious instruction: how it is regulated, who decides its content, the values it imparts and, in particular, whether it triggers, deepens or reduces conflict.Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction, THEODOR HANF AND KARIM EL MUFTI Teaching Religion, not Violence, HISHAM NASHABE Religious Education and/or the Making of a Citizen: The Case of Lebanon, KARIM EL MUFTI Teaching Religion in Egypt and Tunisia: A Challenge to Citizenship Education, MUHAMMAD FAOUR Capitalizing on Inequality? Religious Schools in Turkey and Israel, ANNALENA DI GIOVANNI Teaching Religion in a Multinational State: The Case of Bosnia-Herzegovina, KARIM EL MUFTI State-Building and Religious Education in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, GIUDITTA FONTANA A Review of Religion in the British Education System, KELSEY SHANKS Teaching About Religion in a Spirit of Laïcité: The Case of France, ANNE FRANÇOISE WEBER Teaching Religion in Germany, KARL SCHMITT Madrasa Education in Afghanistan: Between Reform and Militancy, RÜDIGER BLUMÖR Policies and Politics of Teaching Religion in India, SHREYA PARIKH Epilogue: What We Know and What We Don’t, THEODOR HANF About the Authors

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Book SynopsisThis is the first major effort to systematically organise and evaluate Schelling's arguments for a Philosophy of Revelation and to demonstrate their importance for contemporary debates in speculative realism, new realism and post-secularism.

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Book SynopsisThis book engages critically with the different models and approaches for managing religion adopted in Europe, Asia and Oceania. A truly intercontinental volume, this collection brings together high level scholarship from renowned scholars and rising stars in the fields of political theory, Islamic studies, sociology and law.

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a survey of Islam in Turkey since the founding of the modern republic in 1923. It examines the secularising policies of Turkey's founders and how these policies have shaped the development of religious institutions and social expectations around religious practice up to the present day.

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Book SynopsisFeaturing the work of Recep Alpyal and aban Ali Dzgn, this innovative study provides a concise survey of Turkish Muslim positions on religious pluralism and atheism as well as detailed treatments of both critical and appreciative Turkish Muslim perspectives on Western Christianity.

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Book SynopsisUncovering a history buried by different nationalist narratives (Jewish, Israeli, Arab and Palestinian) this book looks at how the late Ottoman era set the stage for the on-going Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

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