Religion and politics Books

Book SynopsisEzra Taft Benson is perhaps the most controversial apostle-president in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For nearly fifty years he delivered impassioned sermons in Utah and elsewhere, mixing religion with ultraconservative right-wing political views and conspiracy theories. His teachings inspired Mormon extremists to stockpile weapons, predict the end of the world, and commit acts of violence against their government. The First Presidency rebuked him, his fellow apostles wanted him disciplined, and grassroots Mormons called for his removal from the Quorum of the Twelve. Yet Benson was beloved by millions of Latter-day Saints, who praised him for his stances against communism, socialism, and the welfare state, and admired his service as secretary of agriculture under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Using previously restricted documents from archives across the United States, Matthew L. Harris breaks new ground as the first to evaluate why Benson embraced a radical form of conservatism, and how under his leadership Mormons became the most reliable supporters of the Republican Party of any religious group in America.Trade Review“Ezra Taft Benson was one of the most significant and controversial figures in the twentieth-century Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Thanks to Matt Harris’s outstanding book, we can now make better sense of Benson’s far-right political ideology and activism, substantial influence on the church, and consequential legacy. Deeply researched, hard-hitting but always fair, and written with a lively pace, Watchman on the Tower is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding modern Mormonism."- Patrick Q. Mason, Leonard J. Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture, Utah State University;"In this well-researched and timely book, Matt Harris reveals that Ezra Taft Benson once chided professional historians for “inordinately” humanizing “the prophets of God.” Here it is Benson himself who is sensitively and carefully humanized, and thank goodness. Harris skillfully positions Benson’s firebrand politics and anti-communist rhetoric within the ethos of their time, and our understanding is the better for it."- Jana Riess, senior columnist for Religion News Service and author of The Next Mormons: How Millennials Are Changing the LDS Church"This is a wonderfully engaging book and the first of its kind. It is not a general biography of Benson. Instead it is a very well researched study of how his far-right political views affected relationships with his political party, with his apostolic colleagues, and with the LDS Church membership."- Armand L. Mauss, professor emeritus of sociology and religious studies at Washington State University and author of All Abraham’s Children: Changing Mormon Conceptions of Race and Lineage;"Documenting Benson’s extended controversial foray in politics makes a major contribution to the history of the LDS Church during the 1960s, especially in view of later attempts to diminish Benson’s participation in such activities. This work is one of the best discussions of the subject now available"- Gary James Bergera, editor of Confessions of a Mormon Historian: The Diaries of Leonard J. Arrington, 1971 to 1997"The significance of Ezra Taft Benson has not been fully appreciated. This book will be of interest to Latter-day Saint scholars and students of twentieth-century religious and political history."- Robert Alan Goldberg, author of Enemies Within: The Culture of Conspiracy in Modern America

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Book SynopsisThe story of Anglo-American relations in Saudi Arabia during the Second World War has generally been viewed as one of discord and hegemonic rivalry, a perspective reinforced by a tendency to consider Britain's decline and the ascent of US power as inevitable. In this engaging and timely study, Matthew Hinds calls into question such assumptions and reveals a relationship that, though hard-nosed, functioned through interdependence and strategic parity. Drawing upon an array of archives from both sides of the Atlantic, Hinds traces the flow of key events and policies as well as the leading figures who shaped events to show why, how and to what extent the allies and Saudi Arabia became 'mixed up together', in the words of Winston Churchill. Perhaps most fundamentally, Britain and the United States were enthralled by the promise of Saudi Arabia serving as an auxiliary to Allied strategy. Obtaining King Ibn Saud's tacit support or more specifically, his 'benevolent neutrality', meant having vital access, not only to the country's prospective oil reserves, but to its prized geographic location, its centrality within Islam and, as international politics increasingly followed an anti-colonial path, to its credentials as a sovereign and independent Arab state. Given what was at stake, London and Washington saw their engagement in Saudi Arabia as seminal; a genuine blueprint for how to forge a lasting 'Special Relationship' throughout the Middle East. Hinds' bold new interpretation is a vital work that enlarges our understanding of the Anglo-American wartime alliance.Trade ReviewHinds has produced a readable account that makes a convincing case for revising notions of wartime Anglo American rivalry in Saudi Arabia ... A stimulating reinterpretation of Anglo-American relations in Saudi Arabia that deserves to be a central point of reference in any analysis of the evolution of the “special relationship” in the Middle East. * Bustan: The Middle East Book Review *

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Book SynopsisFrom false idols and graven images to the tombs of kings and the shrines of capitalism, the targeted destruction of cities, sacred sites and artefacts for religious, political or nationalistic reasons is central to our cultural legacy. This book examines the different traditions of image-breaking in Christianity and Islam as well as their development into nominally secular movements and paints a vivid, scholarly picture of a culture of destruction encompassing Protestantism, Wahhabism, and Nationalism. Beginning with a comparative account of Calvinist Geneva and Wahhabi Mecca, The Politics of Iconoclasm explores the religious and political agendas behind acts of image-breaking and their relation to nationhood and state-building. From sixteenth-century Geneva to urban developments in Mecca today, The Politics of Iconoclasm explores the history of image-breaking, the culture of violence and its paradoxical roots in the desire for renewal. Examining these dynamics of nationhood, technology, destruction and memory, a historical journey is described in which the temple is razed and replaced by the machine.Table of ContentsContents List of Illustrations ix Note on Transliteration xi Acknowledgements xiii Introduction 1 PART I: THE PROTOTYPES 1 Calvinism and Iconoclasm 23 2 Wahhabism and Iconoclasm 59 PART II: THE CASES 3 The French Revolution and Iconoclasm 95 4 The Bourgeois City and Iconoclasm: Venice 111 5 World War Two and Iconoclasm 125 6 The Balkan Wars and Iconoclasm 145 7 Islamic Iconoclasm Today 165 Conclusion 179 Notes 185 Bibliography 219 Index of Key Names 233

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Book Synopsis'This fine study of the Sikhs in Britain is a splendid addition to the field. Not only does it provide an invaluable mapping of the community's origins and development which should make it a standard work of reference for years to come, but in its sophisticated interrogation of the sociological and political tensions which have marked that development it makes a uniquely informed wider contribution to the ongoing debates about the nature of "multicultural" Britain'. Professor Christopher Shackle, SOAS, University of London 'This book is of very great importance for anyone who wishes to understand the crucial role of Sikhs in defining the possibilities of multiculturalism in Britain at a time when the very notion is under attack from many sources. It should be essential reading for policy makers as well as students.' Professor John Rex, Professor Emeritus at the University of Warwick 'This work is a major review of the history and issues affecting Sikhs in Great Britain since the Second World War. Balanced and extremely well documented...it marks an important contribution to Sikh and multicultural studies'. - Professor Norman G. Barrier, Professor of History University of Missouri 'This is an important book which details the coming to self-consciousness of the Sikh community in Britain under local, national and transnational exigencies'. Professor Uday S. Mehta, Department of Political Science, Amherst College 'This book comes at a time when new limits to multiculturalism and to free speech are being drawn and these wider debates are brilliantly interwoven with an account of the public and private lives of Sikhs. The book is politically charged, but sensitive, humane and open-minded at the same time.' Robin Cohen, ESRC Professorial Research Fellow, University of Warwick. 'This first major account of the development of the British Sikh community is very welcome. Scholarly, analytical and deeply empathetic, it is a major contribution.' Professor Judith M. Brown, University of OxfordTrade Review'This book is of very great importance for anyone who wishes to understand the crucial role of Sikhs in defining the possibilities of multiculturalism in Britain at a time when the very notion is under attack from many sources. It should be essential reading for policy makers as well as students.' John Rex, Professor Emeritus, University of Warwick. 'This is a very welcome and timely publication. The authors have been truly innovative in collating and analysing the vast amount of data produced in relation to the Sikh community since Maharaja Duleep Singh first arrived in Britain in 1854. The presence of analysis based on hard facts...makes this a compelling and authoritative volume...This volume is certainly stimulating in its style and content, and is a very welcome addition to the academic literature regarding one of the largest and most identifiable segments of the minority ethnic populations in Britain.' Jasjit Singh, University of Leeds, Political Studies Review 'A wonderful portrayal of Sikh life in Britain.' Association of the Study of African Caribbean and Asian Culture and History in BritainTable of Contents Introduction 1. The Sikhs of Punjab 2. Punjabi Society and Sikh Migration 3. Settlement, Demography and Social Profile 4. Gurdwaras and Community-building 5. Homeland Politics: Class, Identity and Party 6. British Multiculturalism and Sikhs 7. Employment and Education 8. Family, Gender and Sexuality 9. Punjabi, Bhangra and Youth Identities Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThis is a unique collection of essays that brings together contributions from theology, aesthetics, social and political science, philosophy and cultural theory to examine the surge in the public visibility of religion.Since the late 1980s, sociologists have been drawing our attention to an international surge in the public visibility of religion. This has increasingly challenged two central aspects of modern western European culture: first, the assumption that as we became more modern we would become more secularised and religion would disappear; and secondly, that religion and politics should occupy radically differentiated spheres in which private conviction did not exert itself within the public realm. The new visibility of religion is not simply a matter of what Keppel famously called 'The Revenge of God', that is, the resurgence of Christian, Islamic and Jewish fundamentalism. Religion is permeating western culture in many different forms from contemporary continental philosophy, the arts and the media, to the rhetoric of international politicians.This collection of essays brings together a unique collection of voices from theology, aesthetics, social and political science, philosophy and cultural theory in an exploration of four major aspects of this new visibility of religion: the revision of the secularisation thesis, the relationship between religion and violence, the new re-enchantment of reality and the return of metaphysics. The exploration is conducted through essays by and interviews with figures at the forefront of reflecting upon this major cultural shift and its implications. It is distinctively multidisciplinary, examining the phenomenon of the rise of religion in Western Europe from a number of interrelated perspectives.In recent years the study of the nature and function of religion with respect to politics has seen enormous changes. This important series provides a range of books devoted to furthering this study, and aimed at those studying and researching in this area across both disciplines.Titles in this series look specifically at the relationship between religion and political culture. Drawing upon a broad range of religious perspectives, the series is open for studies of historical as well as current phenomena in political culture. It seeks not only to inform but to provoke debate at a time when religion is gaining increasing prominence in the public realm.Trade ReviewMention -Book News, February 2009'Useful not only for theologians but also for scholars in religious studies and cultural analysis.' -- Temenos: Nordic Journal of Comparitive ReligionTable of ContentsHoelzl, M. Ward, G. Introduction; I. Secularisation; Sweeney, J. Revising Secularisation Theory; Riordan, P. Five Ways of Relating Religion and Politics; Williams, R. Secularism, Faith and Freedom; II. Violence; Girard, R. Palaver, W. The Bloody Skin of the Victim; Palaver, W. The Ambiguous Cachet of Victimhood: On Violence and Monotheism; Huber, S. Visibility, Rivalry and Religious Identity; Eagleton, T. Ward, G.; III. Aesthetics; Larcher, G. 'Religion' in Modern Contemporary Art; Ornella, A. 'A Devil in a Midnight Mass': A Reflection on the Relationship between Media and Religion; Weibl, P. Larcher, G.; IV. Theology; Ward, G. Milbank, J. Hoelzl, M.; Scott, P.; Boeve, L. Religion after Detraditionalisation: Christian Faith in a Post-Secular Europe; V. Conclusion; Hoelzl, M. Ward, G.

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Book SynopsisDevelopment practice is full of examples of the importance of religion in the lives of people in developing countries. However, religion has largely remained unexplored in development studies. This timely new book aims to fill that gap. The authors expertly review how religion has been treated in the evolution of development thought, how it has been conceptualised in the social sciences, and highlights the major deficiencies of the assumption of secularism. The book argues that development theory and practice needs to rewrite its dominant script regarding its treatment of religion, a script which has so far been heavily inscribed in the secular tradition. It puts forward an understanding of religions as traditions: that religions rest on central thesis and teachings which never cease to be re-interpreted in the light of the social, political and historical context. In addition to providing a conceptual framework for analysing the role of religion in development, the book provides numerous empirical examples drawn from the Christian and Islamic religious traditions. This comprehensive new guide to this key issue is essential for students, development thinkers and practitioners who wish to understand better the role that religion plays in development processes and outcomes.Trade Review'Religion in Development reminds us of the forgotten role of religion in Development. Séverine Deneulin and Masooda Bano tell us that the usual focus of the study of Development on the nation-state is parochial. Scholarship on Development suffers from the same myopia ... Religion in Development introduces a shift in the conceptual framework that separates Development from the linear, rational idea of progress ... Religion in Development deserves to be read carefully to understand the paradoxes and irony of Development. It is lucid, creative and sensitive.' Abdul Aziz Said, American University 'This volume provides a remarkably concise and clear introduction to a new emerging field in development studies. So far development theory and practise has tended to ignore the impact of the importance of religious ideas, beliefs and practices on development. This neglect is addressed head on by Dr. Severine Deneulin in a way that makes the text appealing, accessible and very attractive to undergraduates, postgraduates and teachers interested in the subject from a variety of disciplines. Religion in Development fills an important gap in the subject area and will certain become essential reading for all those who want to find out more about the manifold interactions between religions and development.' Gurharpal Singh, University of Birmingham 'For too long in Development Studies the response to religion has been blindness or embarrassment, occasionally even hostility. In the excellent work of Severine Deneulin and Masooda Bano we now have a new basis, firmly rooted in good judgment and buttressed by the best research, for bringing religion in to the mainstream of development policy and research. Their book is an eloquent case against treating religion either as an obstacle to change or as a policy instrument, and against treating religious leadership as mere clients or project managers. They show that a coherent approach cannot consider religion in general as a homogeneous package, but also that a coherent approach must take account of the pervasiveness and variety of religious cultures and practices, and of religiously inspired politics. With its clear style and abundance of telling examples, this book will be indispensable to policymakers, practitioners and academics working in development.' David Lehmann, Cambridge University 'The intersections of international development and religion take many surprising forms; they force a reevaluation of religion's roles in society and of the very purposes of the development challenge. Severine Deneulin's book explores the intellectual roots of debates around the topic and their implications for both Christianity and Islam and for development practice.' Katherine MarshallTable of Contents Introduction 1. Addressing the Taboos 2. Religion in Development Thought 3. Religion in Debate 4. Religion in Development Practice 5. Conflicts Between Traditions 6. Dialoguing Traditions Bibliography

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