Religion and politics Books
Princeton University Press American Shtetl
Book SynopsisA compelling account of how a group of Hasidic Jews established its own local government on American soilSettled in the mid-1970s by a small contingent of Hasidic families, Kiryas Joel is an American town with few parallels in Jewish historybut many precedents among religious communities in the United States. This book tells the story of how this group of pious, Yiddish-speaking Jews has grown to become a thriving insular enclave and a powerful local government in upstate New York. While rejecting the norms of mainstream American society, Kiryas Joel has been stunningly successful in creating a world apart by using the very instruments of secular political and legal power that it disavows. Nomi Stolzenberg and David Myers paint a richly textured portrait of daily life in Kiryas Joel, exploring the community's guiding religious, social, and economic norms. They delve into the roots of Satmar Hasidism and its charismatic founder, Rebbe Joel Teitelbaum, following his journey from nineteTrade Review"A New Yorker Best Book of the Year""Honorable mention for the Saul Veiner Book Prize, American Jewish Historical Society""Extraordinary and riveting."---Gideon Lewis-Kraus, The New Yorker"An extraordinarily detailed and fascinating analysis."---Glenn C. Altschuler, Jerusalem Post"A brilliant, eye-opening, thought provoking, easy to read and enjoyable book."---Israel Drazin, Times of Israel"An impressive charting of the legal, cultural, and political machinery set in motion by the creation of a new religious settlement, which eventually became a bona fide municipality. . . . Stolzenberg and Myers provide a fluidly written, lively account of what happens when game but untested religious pioneers encounter the very different challenges of the suburbanized countryside."---Lis Harris, New York Review of Books"Anyone interested in the future of Jews in diaspora (not only Hasidic Jews) should be grateful to [Stolzenberg and Myers] for what they’ve accomplished. . . . Fine-grained in their narrative, offering impressively detailed documentation, leaving plenty of room for the interplay of contingency, strong and often clashing personalities, and the larger structural issues of capital, territory, and state law."---Jonathan Boyarin, Marginalia"[American Shtetl] describes in arresting detail the trajectory and triumph of arguably one of the most paradoxical villages in the United States. But the fact-intensive story Myers and Stolzenberg captivatingly tell also permits the astute observer to extract an important insight of constitutional significance: religious minorities do not always lack the political power to protect their interests, as is often assumed. Kiryas Joel may not be rich, but it has clout."---Zalman Rothschild, Los Angeles Review of Books"I. . . recommend [American Shtetl] to anyone seriously interested not only in the central topic of religious diversity, whether in the United States or elsewhere, but also the various uses (and abuses) of litigation. . . . American Shtetl is a "must-read" book for anyone interested in the realities of religious pluralism in America."---Sandy Levinson, Balkinization"[American Shtetl is] a tale of religion, race, real estate, identity politics and so much more. An important read for anyone looking to understand American Hasidic Jewishness."---Emily Burack, Hey Alma"Some of the things that make American Shtetl so special is the attention to detail, the fresh perspective, and the respect for the subject matter. Myers and Stolzenberg meticulously describe the major events and lawsuits that defined the early history of [Kiryas Joel], and the personalities that shaped each one."---Joel Petlin, The Monsey Mevaser"Fascinating. . . . This is an American story as well as a Jewish one."---Dominic Green, Jewish Chronicle"Nomi M. Stolzenberg and David N. Myers make a compelling case that the village is far from an unreconstructed throwback to a European shtetl. Rather, it is a thoroughly American phenomenon."---Leah Libresco Sargeant, First Things"An engaging and extremely well-researched history of the growth and development of Kiryas Joel."---Ben Rothke, Jewish Link"Stolzenberg (Univ. of Southern California Gould School of Law) and Myers (Univ. of California, Los Angeles) argue persuasively, if counter-intuitively, that the development of Kiryas Joel is “'quintessentially American'."---J. D. Sarna, Choice"Fascinating and very enlightening."---Chaim I. Waxman, Contemporary Jewry"A knowledgeable, opinionated inventory of the Chinese reception of Greek philosophy."---Carl Mitcham, Dao: A Journal of Comparative Philosophy
£27.00
Princeton University Press The Jefferson Bible
Book SynopsisThe life and times of a uniquely American testamentIn his retirement, Thomas Jefferson edited the New Testament with a penknife and glue, removing all mention of miracles and other supernatural events. Inspired by the ideals of the Enlightenment, Jefferson hoped to reconcile Christian tradition with reason by presenting Jesus of Nazareth as a gTrade Review"Peter Manseau’s fluent and instructive The Jefferson Bible: A Biography . . . carefully traces Jefferson’s pilgrimage into the non-miraculous."---James Parker, The Atlantic"Peter Manseau knows the Jefferson Bible well. . . . His outstanding biography of the text . . . pays careful attention to its status as private project, published book and political symbol."---Crawford Gribben, Wall Street Journal"Manseau’s story [recounts] a thrilling mixture of accident, fine timing, and diligent public-museum curation."---Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker"[A] fine ‘biography,’ the latest in Princeton University Press’s excellent series on the Lives of Great Religious Books. "---Nick Spencer, Prospect"Manseau's biography is scholarly and witty. It is an excellent introduction to an underappreciated aspect of Jefferson's thinking."---Daniel Rey, History Today"Excellent. . . . As Manseau observes, the ways in which Americans have received the Jefferson Bible may be more interesting than the ways by which Jefferson conceived it."---John Miller, Angelus"An illuminating look at a work of one of our most intellectually inquisitive presidents that will appeal to Jefferson aficionados, as well as anyone interested in the history of American religion." * Library Journal *"[F]ascinating. ... Manseau’s accounting of the post-discovery history of Jefferson’s [Bible] is well told." * The Journal of Southern History *
£18.00
Princeton University Press The Wealth of Religions
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Co-Winner of the Gold Medal in Economics, Axiom Business Book Awards""The Wealth of Religions glitters with empirical findings . . . . a product of meticulous research."---Jonathan Benthall, Times Literary Supplement"McCleary and Barro take an interdisciplinary approach, combining economics, sociology, anthropology, history, geography, theology, and philosophy; their observations are backed by large inputs of data . . . . The Wealth of Religions suggests that there are many more insights to be gained by incorporating religion into the forces of economics."---Peter Day, Church Times"A very stimulating book."---Paul Richardson, Church of England Newspaper
£18.00
Princeton University Press Christianitys American Fate
Book SynopsisTrade Review"[A] nuanced account. . . . [Christianity’s American Fate] offers a path to greater understanding of how a transformation occurring in full view over decades escaped the notice of many who watched in bafflement and horror as the events of January 6 unfolded. Rather than another January 6, the greater threat that Christian nationalism poses to American society may be, as [the book] warn[s] us, its normalization."---Linda Greenhouse, New York Review of Books"Christianity’s American Fate is at once accessible and erudite, weighing in at a lean 199 pages and yet packing a formidable analytical punch. Hollinger touches on a wide range of issues. . . . [A]nyone who cares about the past, present, and future of American Christianity will be challenged by this book, which like the entirety of Hollinger’s corpus is provocative in the best of ways."---Heath W. Carter, Christianity Today"This is superlative religious history." * Publishers Weekly, starred review *"A superbly concise examination of how American Christianity’s division into a Protestant two-party system parallel to the existing political one came to deeply alter the nation’s recent politics. . . . A critically important, authoritative history of great, immediate relevance. " * Kirkus, starred review *"Brilliant and compulsively readable."---Andrew Preston, Annales"Does Christianity have a future in the United States? David Hollinger poses this question in his important new book. Few people are more qualified to answer it than Hollinger, who over the course of five decades has established himself as one of America’s foremost intellectual historians."---William J. Schultz, Christian Century"Written for a general audience, the volume accomplishes the rare feat of a scholar translating deep expertise into accessible arguments that challenge easy consensus."---Beau Underwood, Word & Way"The delight of Hollinger’s book is. . . the vigor, sparkle, and take-no-prisoners prose style. Christianity’s American Fate is a short but scintillating book."---Paul Harvey, Reviews in American History"A fresh analysis of the growing divide between American evangelicalism and secularism. . . . Americans are at a crossroads right now. Time will tell which path will be taken. Hollinger’s book is a helpful map showing how we reached this point in the journey."---Michelle Arnold, U.S. Catholic"Thoroughly provocative."---Joel Wentz, Englewood Review of Books"Yet despite its brevity, Christianity’s American Fate is far more than a cursory survey; each of its assertions rests on decades of Hollinger’s research and mature analysis, and the book therefore offers a remarkably insightful treatment of modern American religious and political trends."---Daniel K. Williams, Journal of Church and State"Genuinely fascinating."---Madoc Cairns, Times Literary Supplement"Hollinger’s narrative is eminently engaging, and his tone is refreshingly candid. . . . Hollinger has given us an admirably accessible, informative history of ‘the other Protestants,’ who played a crucial role in shaping American religion and politics over the past one hundred years."---William Stell, Journal of Religion
£23.75
Princeton University Press Resurrecting the Jew
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the Vucinich Book Award, Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies""Winner of the Rachel Feldhay Brenner Award, The Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America"
£25.20
Princeton University Press A Jew in the Roman Bathhouse Cultural
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Writing entertainingly and informatively on both archaeology and the Talmud is a rare gift, and the author brings enthusiasm and erudition to his explanations of Roman engineering feats."---Sara Jo Ben Zvi, Segula"Eliav’s engaging account of cultural interaction between Jews and non-Jews in the rabbinic era will help readers to better imagine the interactions between Jews and Gentiles in the New Testament."---Zen Hess, The Christian Century
£32.30
Princeton University Press The Church of Saint Thomas Paine
Book SynopsisTrade Review"Fascinating."---D. G. Hart, Wall Street Journal"[A] lively tour through the expansionist heyday of the secular creed."---Chris Lehmann, New Republic"Thought-provoking."---Dale Singer, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
£17.09
Princeton University Press Catholicism and Democracy
Book SynopsisPresents the history of Catholic political thinking from the French Revolution to the present day. This title investigates the church's response to liberal democracy, a political system for which the church was utterly unprepared.Trade Review"[I]mpressive."---Sylvana Tomaselli, Tablet"Catholicism and Democracy inaugurates a much-needed effort to recount the history of Catholic political ideas in the democratic age. Sadly, this fine book is also Perreau-Saussine's final work, as the professor passed away at the age of thirty-seven in 2010. It is to be hoped that its posthumous publication will inspire others to pick up the important thread that he has so brightly illuminated."---Jeffrey A. Smith, First Things"Catholicism and Democracy treats an important subject with originality and erudition, remaining indispensable reading for anyone interested in the relationship between Christianity and modern political thought."---Carolina Armenteros, Catholic Historical Review"Perreau-Saussine's work is provocative, brilliantly argued, and largely convincing. . . . [T]he present work should go a long way toward shifting our understanding of the historical dialogue between Catholicism and democracy in modern France."---Paul Cohen, American Historical Review"This book is well written, has a provocative character, and is recommended for all with an interest in the developments regarding the relationship between the Church and State, the history of the Catholic Church and the way Christians adapt spiritually to change and political challenges."---Erna Oliver, Studia Historiae"Perreau-Saussine makes a powerful and innovative case and is careful, fair, and even-handed in his interpretations."---Daniel Philpott, The Thomist
£32.30
Princeton University Press Faith Communities and the Fight for Racial
Book Synopsis
£27.00
Princeton University Press Meir Kahane
Book SynopsisThe life and politics of an American Jewish activist who preached radical and violent means to Jewish survivalMeir Kahane came of age amid the radical politics of the counterculture, becoming a militant voice of protest against Jewish liberalism. Kahane founded the Jewish Defense League in 1968, declaring that Jews must protect themselves by any means necessary. He immigrated to Israel in 1971, where he founded KACH, an ultranationalist and racist political party. He would die by assassination in 1990. Shaul Magid provides an in-depth look at this controversial figure, showing how the postwar American experience shaped his life and political thought. Magid sheds new light on Kahane's radical political views, his critique of liberalism, and his use of the grammar of race as a tool to promote Jewish pride. He discusses Kahane's theory of violence as a mechanism to assure Jewish safety, and traces how his Zionism evolved from a fervent support of Israel to a belief that the Zionist projTrade Review"Enlightening and accessible . . . a nuanced and eye-opening portrait of an overlooked figure in Jewish political history." * Publishers Weekly *"[An] important and insightful new book."---David N. Myers, Los Angeles Review of Books"Shaul Magid’s excellent book is not a guide to opposing the world-view of Kahane. It is a rich resource for understanding how deeply this world-view is rooted in the two centres of modern Judaism: the American Jewish community and Israel. And understanding opens the door for tikkun, or repair."---Uri Dromi, Times Literary Supplement"[an] excellent biography . . . which presents provocative arguments aimed at reassessing the Kahane phenomenon."---Itamar Ben Ami, Haaretz"According to a new biography by scholar Shaul Magid, Kahane represented the “underbelly” not only of American Orthodoxy, but of American Jewry writ large. In Meir Kahane: The Public Life and Political Thought of an American Jewish Radical Magid…invites all mainstream American Jewish institutions to grapple with their role in creating Kahane and perpetuating his ideas today."---Hadas Binyamini, +972 Magazine "Magid’s fascinating book is important in sharpening our understanding regarding the sea change and extremism that has taken place in Israeli society and politics from the 1980s to the twenty-first century."---Avi Shilon, Israel Studies Review"Meir Kahane offers a detailed account of Kahane’s life and activities in the United States and Israel. It is an intellectual history that is a major contribution to our understanding of Kahane’s thought and its cultural context. Yet the book is much more than a biography. It is an intervention in the historiography of the Jewish political tradition and its contemporary relevance. Magid compellingly shows that Kahane is part and parcel of the contemporary Jewish discourse of race, power, and politics—covertly in the United States and more and more overtly in Israel." * Journal of Religious Ethics *
£18.00
Princeton University Press Gods Long Summer
Book Synopsis
£17.09
Princeton University Press A Bridging of Faiths
Book SynopsisHomelessness, black neighborhood development, problems of abortion and sex education--how does religion affect the politics of an American city confronting these and other concerns? And what differences have "church and state" issues made in these struggles? In answering such questions, A Bridging of Faiths conveys a feeling of the urgent social thTrade ReviewOne of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 1993Table of ContentsList of IllustrationsList of TablesForewordAcknowledgmentsCh. 1Approaching Springfield3Ch. 2From Meetinghouse to Cathedral22Ch. 3High Rollers and High Rises58Ch. 4Corner Church and City-State97Ch. 5Homelessness in the City of Homes141Ch. 6Covenant in the Crucible of Race173Ch. 7Sexuality and Sectarianism214Ch. 8Bridging the Gaps255Appendix A: A Methodological Postscript303Appendix B: The Springfield Questionnaire and Follow-Up Appeals to Sample Respondents319Appendix C: Statistical Addenda331Bibliography347Index355
£46.75
Princeton University Press India as a Secular State
Book SynopsisTable of Contents*Frontmatter, pg. i*PREFACE, pg. vii*CONTENTS, pg. xiii*1. WHAT IS A SECULAR STATE?, pg. 3*2. THE PROBLEM IN THE ASIAN SETTING, pg. 22*3. THE HISTORICAL FOUNDATION, pg. 57*4. THE CONSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK, pg. 100*5. THE THEORETICAL UNDERGIRDING, pg. 139*6. THE PROPAGATION OF RELIGION, pg. 163*7. THE QUESTION OF FOREIGN MISSIONARIES, pg. 193*8. PROBLEMS OF REGULATION AND REFORM, pg. 216*9. THE REFORM OF HINDU TEMPLES, pg. 235*10. RELIGION, LAW, AND SECULARISM, pg. 265*11. CASTE AND THE SECULAR STATE, pg. 292*12. EDUCATION AND RELIGION, pg. 335*13. HINDUISM AND INDIAN CULTURE, pg. 372*14. A REPORT ON THE MINORITIES, pg. 405*15. THE CHALLENGE OF HINDU COMMUNALISM, pg. 454*16. THE BUILDING OF A SECULAR STATE, pg. 493*INDEX, pg. 503
£170.00
MP-KAN Uni Press of Kansas John F. Kennedy and the Politics of Faith
Book SynopsisExplores the intersection of religion and politics in the era of Kennedy's presidency. Patrick Lacroix challenges the established view that the postwar religious revival disappeared when President Eisenhower left office and that the election of 1960, which carried JFK to the White House, struck a definitive blow to anti-Catholic prejudice.Trade ReviewJohn F. Kennedy's Catholicism has often been seen as merely a surmountable barrier to election. In fact, as Patrick Lacroix capably demonstrates, Kennedy's religious engagement supplies a missing piece to histories of American Catholicism and to dominant narratives about the decline of the Religious Left and rise of the Religious Right. Through deft use of sources, including a treasure trove of oral histories, Lacroix reveals Kennedy as a catalyst for midcentury religious realignment and a figure who demands reconsideration." - Elesha Coffman, author of The Christian Century and the Rise of the Protestant Mainline"As Patrick Lacroix explains with skill and grace, the 'Catholic question' in American politics was not put to rest with the presidential election of 1960. In John F. Kennedy and the Politics of Faith, we learn how Kennedy's engagement with religion on a broad range of subjects produced surprising alliances, unlikely foes, and unexpected results, all of which shaped his presidency and the political culture of the United States going forward. Lacroix has made an important contribution to our understanding of the Kennedy legacy and of the 1960s." - Jason K. Duncan, author of John F. Kennedy: The Spirit of Cold War Liberalism"Saying something new about John F. Kennedy and Catholicism might seem impossible, but Patrick Lacroix accomplishes this and much more. His astute and compelling study traces how Kennedy's Catholicism shaped domestic and foreign policy choices on everything from education to Latin America. To read Lacroix is to understand how religion shaped not only the Kennedy presidency but also much of what followed during the not-so-secular 1960s." - John McGreevy, Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, Notre Dame University, and author of Catholicism and American Freedom: A History"Well researched and timely as ever, John F. Kennedy and the Politics of Faith corrects both academic and popular misconceptions about JFK's not inconsiderable contributions to American religious life in the 1960s. Essential reading for these times, and those ahead." - L. Benjamin Rolsky, author of The Rise and Fall of the Religious Left: Politics, Television, and Popular Culture in the 1970s and Beyond
£37.76
Pluto Press Checkpoint Temple Church and Mosque
Book SynopsisA study of the contradictory role of religion in Sri Lanka as a force that is both stabilising whilst also acting as a source of conflict.Trade Review'Draws together an extraordinarily rich body of ethnographic research in Sri Lanka that challenges conventional wisdoms about religion and conflict. Exquisitely written and subtly argued this book is essential reading for practitioners and researchers engaged in the fields of development, conflict and religion' -- Jude Howell, Professor of International Development, London School of Economics'The substantive contributions of this book to our understanding of the intertwined life of war and peace are unparalleled and what is even more remarkable is their mode of thinking that privileges co-operative modes of work. An inspiring and deeply moving book' -- Veena Das, Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Anthropology, Johns Hopkins UniversityTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Series Preface Acknowledgements Glossary and Acronyms 1. Introduction 2. The East as a Complex Religious Field 3. Land and Water, War and not War 4. Making Sacred Space 5. Conflict in the Plural 6. Boundary Politics, Religion and Peace-Building 7. Afterword: War’s End 8. Reflections Notes Bibliography Index
£72.25
Pluto Press 32 Counties The Failure of Partition and the Case
Book SynopsisPartitioning Ireland was an experiment that has lasted a century. Now it is time for it to come to an endTrade ReviewThe phrase 'If we don't learn from the past, we are doomed to repeat it', seems more apt about Ireland than anywhere else. To look at Ireland through the prism of class is to see not what might have been but what brightness the future might bring. Kieran Allen's new book is Irish history seen anew, from below, bristling with practical lessons for working-class struggle today' -- Eamonn McCann, politician, journalist and political activist'Showing how partition was not to separate two hostile cultures but a strategy to defend the British empire, it traces the grisly story through to the return of the national question today when Irish unity can be posed again on a new socialist basis. Essential reading for anyone who wants to change Irish society' -- Brid Smith, People Before Profit TD'An important contribution to a debate that has been reignited. It is an excellent tool for activists who are navigating the arguments in favour of ending partition' -- Gerry Carroll, MLA Stormont Assembly for West Belfast‘Makes a compelling case that Connolly’s class-oriented vision offers a way out of the sectarian maze Ireland has been trapped in since partition’ -- ‘Jacobin’'If there is one book you need to read to grasp what’s going on in Ireland, and Northern Ireland specifically, it must be Kieran Allen’s 32 Counties’ -- ‘Counterfire’Table of ContentsPreface 1. ‘A Carnival of Reaction’: The Origins of Partition 2. Republicans and Loyalists 3. British Imperialism 4. Managed Sectarianism 5. Protestant Workers 6. The Return of the National Question 7. The Left and Irish Unity 8. What Kind of United Ireland? Notes Index
£72.25
Pluto Press Faith and Resistance
Book SynopsisHow is decolonial resistance evolving in Lebanon and the Middle East?Trade Review'This is a brilliant, erudite and welcome addition to the growing body of work on Islamic liberation theology and decoloniality. -- Farid Esack, Professor in the Study of Islam, University of JohannesburgTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgements 1. Introduction 2. The Rise of Religious Activism in Lebanon and Beyond 3. Deconstructing Terrorism and Resistance 4. Lebanon’s Resistance Charities 5. The Imam Al-Sadr Foundation 6. The Problem of Resistance and Power Conclusion Notes References Index
£25.19
Pluto Press Faith and Resistance
Book SynopsisHow is decolonial resistance evolving in Lebanon and the Middle East?Trade Review'This is a brilliant, erudite and welcome addition to the growing body of work on Islamic liberation theology and decoloniality. -- Farid Esack, Professor in the Study of Islam, University of JohannesburgTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgements 1. Introduction 2. The Rise of Religious Activism in Lebanon and Beyond 3. Deconstructing Terrorism and Resistance 4. Lebanon’s Resistance Charities 5. The Imam Al-Sadr Foundation 6. The Problem of Resistance and Power Conclusion Notes References Index
£72.25
SPCK Publishing On Gods Side What Religion Forgets and Politics
Book SynopsisLeft and Right need to unite in pursuit of the Common Good which Jesus' call to love our neighbour requiresTrade Review"Personal/political, religion/politics, faith/power, ideology/pragmatism ... Jim Wallis is a wrestler of values, ideas, and policies and how they interact to shape the world we live in. His deep, melodious voice is easy to listen to, but what he says takes a harder commitment to live by." -- Bono, lead singer of U2; cofounder of ONE.org "Jim Wallis and I have a variety of differences on domestic and international policy, but there is no message more timely or urgent than his call to actively consider the common good." -- Michael Gerson, op-ed columnist, The Washington Post "I love the work and books and existence of Jim Wallis. His is a profound and always-entertaining voice of reason, reconciliation, and passion for social justice and peace. Each of his books makes me wish I could get it into the hands of more politicians, right-wing Christians, left-wing Christians, secular humanists, economists, and regular people--everyone--so we could see how much we have in common and how much is at stake." -- Anne Lamott, author of Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers "I have read all of Jim Wallis's books, books that call evangelicals to full conversion and an ecclesial faith that works. On God's Side is Jim's best book; it is personal, pastoral, and prophetic--a summons to a a deeper conversion, to bridge-building commitments to the common good, and to a family life that grounds active faith in a common, caring community." -- Scot McKnight, Northern Seminary "There are few people on the scene who can put together mature Christianity with mature politics without compromising either. Jim Wallis does it best--and does it again here." -- Richard Rohr, OFM, Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, New Mexico "No one cuts through the confusion of our times with clarity and compassion like Jim Wallis. He is at his best in this book--bridging a cosmic vision of what humankind could be with a concrete plan for how we get there." -- Eboo Patel, founder and president, Interfaith Youth Core; author of Sacred Ground "This sweeping tour de force by America's most prominent religious social justice activist is at once deeply personal and powerfully universal. A must-read book for policy makers, religious leaders, and anyone looking for a moral basis to address America's urgent problems." -- Rabbi David Saperstein, director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism "Jim Wallis is asking a question whose time has come. Are we pursuing a national agenda that seeks the common good or are we seeking to baptize our political agendas with faith? Leaders both religious and political must take Wallis's challenge seriously when pondering the future of our life together." -- Rev. Gabriel Salguero, president, National Latino Evangelical Coalition "Addresses with wisdom and clarity crucial issues that we must grapple with in the decade ahead: economics, ecology, polarization, peacemaking, the role of government, and more... Arguably Jim's best book. -- Brian D. McLaren Divided into two parts, each with seven chapters with numerous sub headings, it makes for an easy read but still delivers many challenges in pithy phrases. -- David Sellick On God's Side "Jim Wallis's latest book sets out a vision for the common good that both politics and the Church need to recapture. The book alternates between sections strong on encouragement, inspiration and practical examples of what has happened in the United States." -- Idea Magazine Daniel Webster 'Many powerful points are made well supported by pertinent Biblical reference; a contemporary challenge to the rhetoric and practice of both religion and politics.' -- David Sellick The Reader
£999.99
McGill-Queen's University Press Not Quite Us
Book SynopsisHow anti-Catholicism reflected and constructed English Canadian identity in the twentieth century and why it remains important today.Trade Review"Not Quite Us is an important and original book that adds a crucial dimension to our understanding of inequality and exclusion in twentieth-century Canada." Lynne Marks, University of Victoria
£98.60
University of British Columbia Press Law and Religious Pluralism in Canada
Book SynopsisLaw and Religious Pluralism in Canada seeks to elucidate the complex and often uneasy relationship between law and religion in democracies committed both to equal citizenship and religious pluralism. Leading socio-legal scholars consider the role of religious values in public decision making, government support for religious practices, and the restriction and accommodation by government of minority religious practices. They examine such current issues as the legal recognition of sharia arbitration, the re-definition of civil marriage, and the accommodation of religious practice in the public sphere.Trade Review"The range of perspectives offered on the vexed relationship between law and religion is one of the strengths of this book. It clearly illustrates the multiple dimensions involved, the lack of easy solutions, and the many defensible positions that one can take. Law and Religious Pluralism in Canada will contribute significantly to the literature and debates on this pressing issue. - Peter Beyer is a Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Ottawa and the author of Religions in Global Society.Table of ContentsIntroduction: Law and Religious Pluralism in Canada / Richard Moon1 View from the Succah: Religion and Neighbourly Relations / Shauna Van Praagh2 Clashes of Principle and the Possibility of Dialogue: A Case Study of Same-Sex Marriage in the United Church in Canada / Jennifer Nedelsky and Roger Hutchinson 3 Associational Rights, Religion, and the Charter / David Schneiderman4 The Canadian Conception of Equal Religious Citizenship / Bruce Ryder5 Living by Different Law: Legal Pluralism, Freedom of Religion, and Illiberal Religious Groups / Alvin Esau6 In the (Canadian) Shadow of Islamic Law: Translating Mahr as a Bargaining Endowment / Pascale Fournier7 Living Law on a Living Earth: Aboriginal Religion, Law, and the Constitution / John Borrows8 Defining Religion: The Promise and the Peril of Legal Interpretation / Lori G. Beaman9 Government Support for Religious Practice / Richard Moon10 Ontario’s Sharia Law Debate: Law and Politics under the Charter / Lorraine E. Weinrib11 Law’s Religion: Rendering Culture / Benjamin L. Berger Index
£73.95
MN - University of British Columbia Press Reasonable Accommodation Managing Religious Diversity
Book SynopsisReasonable Accommodation is a collection of essays examining the meaning of reasonable accommodation of religious diversity through law and public discourse in Canada and abroad.Table of ContentsContentsIntroduction: Exploring Reasonable Accommodation / Lori G. Beaman1 Religion and Immigration in a Changing Canada: The Reasonable Accommodation of “Reasonable Accommodation”? / Peter Beyer2 Religion in Court, Between an Objective and a Subjective Definition / Solange Lefebvre3 Identity Quietism and Political Exclusion / Avigail Eisenberg4 Veiled Objections: Facing Public Opposition to the Niqab / Natasha Bakht5 Public Responses to Religious Diversity in Britain and France / James A. Beckford6 Beyond Reasonable Accommodation: The Case of Australia / Gary D. Bouma7 One of These Things Is Not like the Other: Sexual Diversity and Accommodation / Heather Shipley8 Religion as a Multicultural Marker in Advanced Modern Society / Ole RiisConclusion: Alternatives to Reasonable Accommodation / Lori G. BeamanList of ContributorsIndex
£25.19
University of British Columbia Press Secular States and Religious Diversity
Book SynopsisExamines the limitations and dilemmas of government responses to religious diversity and how secular states deal (and should deal) with such pluralism.Table of ContentsPrefaceIntroduction: Globalization, Secular States, and Religious Diversity / Bruce J. Berman, Rajeev Bhargava, and André LalibertéPart 1: Historical and Theoretical Approaches1 Religious Pluralism as a Self-Evident Problem in the Context of Globalization / Peter Beyer2 Secular Modernity, Religion, and the Politics of Knowledge / Bruce J. Berman3 Can Secularism Be Rehabilitated? / Rajeev BhargavaPart 2: Secularisms in the West4 Between Secularism and Postsecularism: A Canadian Interregnum / Paul Bramadat and David Seljak5 Tolerance and Accommodation as Vestiges of the Empire / Lori G. Beaman6 In God We Trust? Secular States, Diversity, and the “Clash” within North America / Yasmeen Abu-Laban and Claude Couture7 Ideologies, Institutions, and Laws: Religious Freedom in Secular States / Ahmet T. KuruPart 3: Secularisms beyond the West8 State Intervention in the Reform of a “Religion of Rules”: An Analysis of the Views of B.R. Ambedkar / Rinku Lamba9 Something Got Lost in Translation: From “Secularism” to “Separation between Politics and Religion” in Taiwan / André Laliberté10 The Changing State Monopoly on Religion and Secular Views in Thailand / Manuel Litalien11 State-Society Structures and the Frustration of Movements for Secular Reforms in Lebanon: Civil Marriage and Youth Activism / Elinor Bray-CollinsConclusion: Secularism, Religious Diversity, and Democratic Politic / Anna DrakeContributors; Index
£26.99
University of British Columbia Press Religious Diversity in Canadian Public Schools
Book SynopsisCanadian public schools have long been entrusted with the mandate of socializing children. Yet this duty can rest uneasily alongside religious diversity questions.Grounding its analysis in three seminal Supreme Court cases involving religion in schools, Religious Diversity in Canadian Public Schools reveals legal processes that are unduly linear, compressing multidimensional conversations into an oppositional format and stripping away the voices of children themselves. Dia Dabby contends that schools are in fact microsystems worthy of their own consideration, and with the power to construct their own rules and relationships.This compelling work connects many of the themes that have animated public discourse since multiculturalism was officially enacted in Canada. Situating its analysis in relation to concepts of nation, education, and diversity, Religious Diversity in Canadian Public Schools encourages a deeper conversation about how religion is mediaTable of ContentsIntroduction1 Everyday Law in Schools2 Litigation about Religion and Education: On (Un)Heard Voices3 Mediating Religious Diversity in Public Schools4 The Administrative Governance of Public Schools5 Relations of Belonging in Education to Mediate DiversityConclusionNotes; Bibliography; Index
£62.90
University of British Columbia Press Religious Diversity in Canadian Public Schools
Book SynopsisThis comprehensive analysis of the legally complex relationship between religion and public schools will compel readers to reconsider the role of law in education.Table of ContentsIntroduction1 Everyday Law in Schools2 Litigation about Religion and Education: On (Un)Heard Voices3 Mediating Religious Diversity in Public Schools4 The Administrative Governance of Public Schools5 Relations of Belonging in Education to Mediate DiversityConclusionNotes; Bibliography; Index
£25.19
University of British Columbia Press The Challenges of a Secular Quebec
Book SynopsisThe Challenges of a Secular Quebec opens up the debates that gave rise to a controversial law on state religious neutrality, taking an open-minded look at how secularism is understood and how it has imposed itself in the Quebec social space.Table of ContentsForeword / Roberto PerinIntroduction / Lucia Ferretti and François RocherPart 1: Things in Perspective1 Putting Things in Perspective: The Many Varieties of Secularism / François Rocher2 Beyond Defending Religious Symbols: The Desire to Put Quebec In Its Place / Lucia FerrettiPart 2: Historical and Sociological Perspectives3 Quebec: Under the Rule of its Two Cities / Marc Chevrier4 The Difficult Search for a Quebec Model of Laicity / Micheline Labelle5 Some Muslim Quebec Women and Men Are in Favour of Bill 21 / Yasmina ChouakriPart 3: Legal Perspectives6 The Laicity of the State: The Cornerstone of Individual Civil and Political Rights / Julie Latour7 Arguments Relating to the Unconstitutionality of the Act Respecting the Laicity of the State: A Massive Rebuttal / Daniel Turp8 Rights Guaranteed Equally to Both Sexes, the Notwithstanding Clause, and the Act Respecting the Laicity of the State: Overview and Contribution to the Debate from a Quebec Perspective / Guillaume Rousseau9 Laicity in the Light of Institutional Dialogue in Canada / Patrick TaillonPart 4: Educational Perspectives10 The Medium is the Message: There’s No Point Cluttering Educational Communication / Charles-Étienne Gill11 Thinking About Laicity Today with Ferdinand Buisson / Normand Baillargeon12 Secularism and the Symbolic: The Quebec School as a Place of Immanent Knowledge / Paul SabourinConclusion: The Fate Of Bill 21 in the Courts and in Public Opinion in English Canada / Lucia Ferretti and François RocherList of Contributors; Index
£69.70
Baker Publishing Group Advocating for Justice An Evangelical Vision for
Book SynopsisProvides theological rationale and strategies of action for evangelicals passionate about justice, showing them how to advocate for lasting change.Table of ContentsContentsPart 1: The Problem Defined1. An Evangelical Approach to Advocacy: Definitions and Underpinnings2. Transformational Advocacy: Past Foundations, Current Challenges, and New Frontiers for Evangelical ActionPart 2: An Evangelical Theology of Advocacy3. Theology of Advocacy: God, Power, and Advocacy4. Transformational Advocacy and Power: The State and Social Institutions5. The Role of the ChurchPart 3: An Evangelical Practice of Advocacy6. Transformational Advocacy Practice: Witness of the Local and Global Church and the Parachurch7. Challenges and Tensions in Transformational Advocacy and Steps for Overcoming ThemConclusionAppendix: Case Studies in Evangelical AdvocacyIndex
£22.28
Cornell University Press War on Sacred Grounds
Book SynopsisSacred sites offer believers the possibility of communing with the divine and achieving deeper insight into their faith. Yet their spiritual and cultural importance can lead to competition as religious groups seek to exclude rivals from practicing potentially sacrilegious rituals in the hallowed space and wish to assert their own claims. Holy places thus create the potential for military, theological, or political clashes, not only between competing religious groups but also between religious groups and secular actors.In War on Sacred Grounds, Ron E. Hassner investigates the causes and properties of conflicts over sites that are both venerated and contested; he also proposes potential means for managing these disputes. Hassner illustrates a complex and poorly understood political dilemma with accounts of the failures to reach settlement at Temple Mount/Haram el-Sharif, leading to the clashes of 2000, and the competing claims of Hindus and Muslims at Ayodhya, which resulted inTrade ReviewAn important and engaging work. Hassner approaches the topic of sacred turf with refreshing new insights and perspectives.... He explores from a political science perspective why sacred places are contested and then examines why the 'indivisibility' of sacred sites makes them more problematic to solve than common territorial disputes.... The primary focus of the book then turns to the theory and practice of successful sharing of scared space as a result of direct involvement and input of religious leaders—something Hassner sees as missing from most negotiations—who in turn must work with their religious constituencies and with the political elite in reconfiguring sacred space.... We can only hope that political leaders in control of sacred spaces will read Hassner's book and that more religious leaders will then be included in peace negotiations so that they can creatively shape and reshape 'the meaning, value, and parameters of sacred space. -- Chad F. Emmett * Middle East Journal *Ron Hassner's War on Sacred Grounds is a tour de force. It is, quite simply, the best book on religion and war I have read. It is not merely meticulously researched, theoretically interesting, and methodologically sophisticated, it is also extremely well written.... Hassner develops a framework for studying religious sites based on a site's 'vulnerability' and its 'centrality.' This enables him to estimate the importance of sites in the eyes of worshippers and evaluate the likelihood of conflict erupting over it. He draws on insights from both political science and the sociology of religion... in a careful and sober manner, and in a way that does neither discipline injustice. -- Havard Mokleiv Nygard * Journal of Peace Research *Sacred sites, as Hassner shows, have particular characteristics that may differentiate them from other strategic locations in times of conflict.... War on Sacred Grounds is an illuminating work that takes religious beliefs seriously while placing them within the context of strategic political action. It provides comparative politics with theoretical insights on a highly salient issue, supported by a rich and nuanced treatment of historical examples. -- Natan B. Sachs * Comparative Political Studies *Table of ContentsPrologue: "A Terrifying and Fascinating Mystery" 1. On Sacred GroundsPART ONE: UNDERSTANDING CONFLICTS OVER SACRED SPACES 2. What Is Sacred Space? 3. The Indivisibility Problem 4. Conflict over Sacred Places 5. Mismanaging Conflicts over Sacred PlacesPART TWO: MANAGING CONFLICTS OVER SACRED SPACES 6. The Foundations and Limits of Religious Authority 7. Successful Conflict Management: Jerusalem, 1967 8. Successful Conflict Management: Mecca, 1979 9. Lessons from Conflicts over Sacred SpacesAcknowledgements Notes Index
£39.60
Cornell University Press Antifundamentalism in Modern America
Book SynopsisDavid Harrington Watt''s Antifundamentalism in Modern America gives us a pathbreaking account of the role that the fear of fundamentalism has playedand continues to playin American culture. Fundamentalism has never been a neutral category of analysis, and Watt scrutinizes the various political purposes that the concept has been made to serve. In 1920, the conservative Baptist writer Curtis Lee Laws coined the word fundamentalists. Watt examines the antifundamentalist polemics of Harry Emerson Fosdick, Talcott Parsons, Stanley Kramer, and Richard Hofstadter, which convinced many Americans that religious fundamentalists were almost by definition backward, intolerant, and anti-intellectual and that fundamentalism was a dangerous form of religion that had no legitimate place in the modern world. For almost fifty years, the concept of fundamentalism was linked almost exclusively to Protestant Christians. The overthrow of the Shah of Iran and the establishment of an Islamic republiTrade Review[H]is prose is crisp and easily accessible from both popular and academic vantages. What's even more impressive is the fact that such a style embodies decades of nuanced thinking and discernment when it comes to the academic study of global fundamentalism. In these senses, Watt's work embodies what scholarly publishing is capable of in the early decades of the twenty-first century: engaging prose backed by dense networks of historiographic insight and archival density.... In short, Antifundamentalism in Modern America is a significant contribution to at least three separate but interrelated fields of academic inquiry: American religious history, religious studies, and American history. For historians writ large, Watt's text offers a well-supported argument through the use of multiple archives and close readings of primary source material. * H-Net *Watt is a keenly observant commentator who effortlessly blends media analysis with intellectual history, archival work with examinations of contemporary events. His prose is engaging without sacrificing depth or rigor. Perhaps most impressively, Watt is an even-handed and even generous critic of those with whom he disagrees. When it comes to the subject of fundamentalism, such equipoise is almost astonishing. But that is part of the point. Only by ratcheting down the rhetoric can one begin to dismantle the machinery that has built the targeting of ostensible fundamentalists—particularly Muslims, and often violently—into a pillar of statecraft at home and abroad. * Reading Religion *The rhetoric of antifundamentalism is unlikely to die as long as the behaviors that vex antifundamentalists persist. And while the concept of global fundamentalism is, as Watt persuasively argues, far more problematic, it, too, is likely to live on at least until the fears it engenders can be given a new name. * Journal of Church and State *Watt is methodical and fair-minded in laying out the problems involved in usage of the word fundamentalism and the history of its usage.... His book is instructive and important as a caution against oversimplified categories of interpretation. * Canadian Journal of History *Watt strives for evenhandedness even as he warns against the pitfalls in the notion of global fundamentalism. Antifundamentalism in Modern America is a careful and timely book that is worth thoughtfully reading. * The Journal of Southern History *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Putting Fundamentalism to Work1. Skeptics2. Defenders3. The First Fundamentalists4. Invention5. Ratification6. The Dustbin of History7. Reinvention8. ZenithConclusion: The Future of Fundamentalism
£20.89
Cornell University Press Religion on the Battlefield
Book SynopsisIn Religion on the Battlefield, Hassner focuses on the everyday practice of religion in a military context: the prayers, rituals, fasts, and feasts of the religious practitioners who populate the battlefields of modern wars.Trade ReviewHassner's Religion on the Battlefield offers a welcome contribution to the body of literature on religion and conflict.... What sets Hassner's work apart is that it is much less focused on why actors internalize religious ideas and identitiesand more on what they actually do with these ideas.... Religion on the Battlefield should be considered a must-read work. -- Dr. Magdalena Delgado * St. Anthony’s International Review *This short but thoughtful book invites readers to reconsider their ideas about the role of religion in war. Ever since the 9/11 attacks, the intersection of religion and organized violence has been understood in ideological terms, with a focus on extremism; unsurprisingly, Islam has attracted most attention of this kind. Hassner wants readers to instead think of religion as a set of practices that appear in a variety of forms but have something to do with the sacred—and serve as sources of motivation and inhibition and also exploitation and provocation. -- Lawrence D. Freedman * Foreign Affairs *Finely crafted and timely monograph.... Hasner has produced a thoughful and interesting survey that is of immediate political and strategic importance. * International Affairs *As a former Marine and combat veteran, I was pleased by Hassner's ability to bring up the complexities of religion on the battlefield.... Overall, this book is a wonderful introduction to the complexities of religion and war. It uses historical examples alongside theoretical analysis to show that religion is a far-reaching and important topic in the study of war. * Reading Religion *Hassner makes significant strides in both description and prescription. * Journal of Church and State *Table of Contents1. Why? Religion as a Cause of War 2. When? Sacred Time and War 3. Where? Sacred Space and War 4. Who? Sacred Leaders and War 5. How? Sacred Rituals and War 6. Religion on the Battlefield in Iraq, 2003–2009
£18.99
Cornell University Press Religious Rhetoric and American Politics
Book SynopsisFrom Reagan's regular invocation of America as a city on a hill to Obama's use of spiritual language in describing social policy, religious rhetoric is a regular part of how candidates communicate with voters. Although the Constitution explicitly forbids a religious test as a qualification to public office, many citizens base their decisions about candidates on their expressed religious beliefs and values. In Religious Rhetoric and American Politics, Christopher B. Chapp shows that Americans often make political choices because they identify with a civil religion, not because they think of themselves as cultural warriors.. Chapp examines the role of religious political rhetoric in American elections by analyzing both how political elites use religious language and how voters respond to different expressions of religion in the public sphere. Chapp analyzes the content and context of political speeches and draws on survey data, historical evidence, and controlled experiments toTrade Review"In this very impressive bookChapp provides the first systematic treatment of the use of religious rhetoric in American politics.... Religious Rhetoric and American Politics provides a thorough review of a largely under studied phenomenon." —J. Christopher Soper * American Historical Review *This brief but valuable volume provides a rich history of the use of religious rhetoric throughout American political history from the Puritans to the founders, through the Civil War, Progressive Era, Cold War, and contemporary politics, and it evaluates the impact of emotion and tone in the use of that rhetoric.... This book would be useful to the historian and political scientist alike. * Choice *Whether we like it or not, religious rhetoric is part of the American political landscape, but this book provides some sorely needed perspective for policymakers seeking to understand what kind of spiritual language appeals to most Americans. * Conscience *Table of Contents1. A Theory of Religious Rhetoric in American Campaigns2. Religious Rhetoric in American Political History3. Religious Rhetoric and the Politics of Identity4. Religious Rhetoric and the Politics of Emotive Appeals5. The Consequences of Religious Language on Presidential Candidate Evaluations6. Civil Religion Identity and the Task of Political Representation7. The Rhetorical Construction of Religious ConstituenciesNotes References Index
£37.05
Cornell University Press Children of Rus
Book SynopsisIn Children of Rus'', Faith Hillis recovers an all but forgotten chapter in the history of the tsarist empire and its southwestern borderlands. The right bank, or west side, of the Dnieper Riverwhich today is located at the heart of the independent state of Ukrainewas one of the Russian empire's last territorial acquisitions, annexed only in the late eighteenth century. Yet over the course of the long nineteenth century, this newly acquired region nearly a thousand miles from Moscow and St. Petersburg generated a powerful Russian nationalist movement. Claiming to restore the ancient customs of the East Slavs, the southwest's Russian nationalists sought to empower the ordinary Orthodox residents of the borderlands and to diminish the influence of their non-Orthodox minorities.Right-bank Ukraine would seem unlikely terrain to nourish a Russian nationalist imagination. It was among the empire's most diverse corners, with few of its residents speaking Russian as their native langTrade ReviewChildren of Rus' breaks new ground in research on both Russian and Ukrainian history. It is a must read for everyone interested in empires, borderlands and nationalism, and I am hopeful it will generate a lovely discussion and a lot of new research. -- Serhii Plokhy * The Russian Review *In this excellent and valuable book, Faith Hillis explores the creation of a 'Little Russian' identity and how nationalist forces were unleashed in Ukrain's right bank in the late imperial period. This idea is conceptualised as one that celebrated both Slavic unity and local identity. Going beyond the standard depictions of a conflict between liberal and illiberal political forces in the late imperial period, a new approach is suggested— to understand 'how residents of the right bank came to conceive of local society in national terms in the first place' (p. 10). The study draws on a very wide range of sources, particularly the holdings of the Central State Historical Archive of Ukraine in Kiev, to explore the words and actions of leaders and activists who espoused the Little Russian idea in the late imperial period. Whilst there are many strengths to this work, not least the scope and rigour of the research, perhaps the most novel contribution is to show how a number of activists managed to fuse national with local factors to create a series of movements based around the Little Russian idea that proved remarkably durable, throughout the imperial period and afterwards. -- George Gilbert * Revolutionary Russia *In this painstakingly researched book, Faith Hillis recovers the largely forgotten yet significant page in the history of the late Imperial Russia: the development of right-wing Russian nationalism on the empire's southwestern edge. In so doing, she challenges several traditional narratives of the late Imperial period. -- Serhy Yekelchyk * Slavic and East European Journal *Well written and chock full of insights into the politics of late Imperial RussiaChildren of Rus' is a model of meticulous scholarship and perceptive analysis and should be essential reading for anyone interested in learning about the complexities of Russian and Ukrainian identities. -- Robert Weinberg * Journal of Modern History *Children of Rus' is excellent microhistory, giving readers a detailed picture of Russian nationalism among Ukrainians after the 1860s. It is definitely wanting in terms of giving the "big picture" of Ukrainian national evolution in the empire. -- Oleh S. Ilnytzkyj, University of Alberta * H-Net: Humanities and Social Sciences Online *Table of ContentsList of Maps Acknowledgments Note to the Reader Abbreviations Introduction Part One: The Little Russian Idea and the Russian Empire Chapter One: The Little Russian Idea and the Invention of a Rus' Nation Chapter Two: The Little Russian Idea in the 1860s Chapter Three: The Little Russian Idea and the Imagination of Russian and Ukrainian Nations Part Two: The Urban Crucible Chapter Four: Nationalizing Urban Politics Chapter Five: Concepts of Liberation Part Three: Forging a Russian Nation Chapter Six: Electoral Politics and Regional Governance Chapter Seven: Nationalizing the Empire Chapter Eight: The Limits of the Russian Nationalist Vision Epilogue Selected Bibliography Index
£97.20
Cornell University Press Evolving Nationalism
Book SynopsisEvolving Nationalism examines how the idea of Israel as a nation-state has developed within Zionist and Israeli discourse over the past eight decades. Nadav G. Shelef focuses on the changing ways in which the main nationalist movements answered three distinct questions in their private and public ideological articulations between 1925 and 2005: Where is the Land of Israel? Who ought to be Israeli? What should the Zionist national mission be? Framed within broader debates about how and why changes in foundational definitions of the nation occur, Shelef''s analysis centers on the mechanisms of ideological change and then subjects them to empirical scrutiny. He thus moves beyond the common but problematic assumptions that such transformations must be either a rare, rational adaptation to traumatic shock or a relatively constant product of manipulation by power-hungry elites. He finds that nationalist movements, including radical and religious fundamentalist ones, can and Trade ReviewAs presented by Shelef, who writes in an admirably lucid style that manages to be both sophisticated and coherent, this is undoubtedly a compelling thesis.... He is to be highly commended for having opened up a new avenue of enquiry in a field that, because it has been so extensively ploughed by others, a less courageous scholar might have given a very wide berth. * The Journal of Israeli History *Table of ContentsPreface Nationalism, Change, and EvolutionPart I. Where Is the Land of Israel? 1. Labor Zionist Mapping of the Homeland 2. Religious Zionist Mapping of the Homeland 3. Revisionist Zionist Mapping of the HomelandPart II. Destiny and Identity 4. Transformations of the Collective Mission 5. Arabs and Diaspora Jews in Israeli National Identity 6. Ongoing Transformations of Israeli NationalismNationalism and the Question of ChangeNotes Bibliography Index
£21.59
Cornell University Press War on Sacred Grounds
Book SynopsisSacred sites offer believers the possibility of communing with the divine and achieving deeper insight into their faith. Yet their spiritual and cultural importance can lead to competition as religious groups seek to exclude rivals from practicing potentially sacrilegious rituals in the hallowed space and wish to assert their own claims. Holy places thus create the potential for military, theological, or political clashes, not only between competing religious groups but also between religious groups and secular actors.In War on Sacred Grounds, Ron E. Hassner investigates the causes and properties of conflicts over sites that are both venerated and contested; he also proposes potential means for managing these disputes. Hassner illustrates a complex and poorly understood political dilemma with accounts of the failures to reach settlement at Temple Mount/Haram el-Sharif, leading to the clashes of 2000, and the competing claims of Hindus and Muslims at Ayodhya, which resulted inTrade ReviewAn important and engaging work. Hassner approaches the topic of sacred turf with refreshing new insights and perspectives.... He explores from a political science perspective why sacred places are contested and then examines why the 'indivisibility' of sacred sites makes them more problematic to solve than common territorial disputes.... The primary focus of the book then turns to the theory and practice of successful sharing of scared space as a result of direct involvement and input of religious leaders—something Hassner sees as missing from most negotiations—who in turn must work with their religious constituencies and with the political elite in reconfiguring sacred space.... We can only hope that political leaders in control of sacred spaces will read Hassner's book and that more religious leaders will then be included in peace negotiations so that they can creatively shape and reshape 'the meaning, value, and parameters of sacred space. -- Chad F. Emmett * Middle East Journal *Ron Hassner's War on Sacred Grounds is a tour de force. It is, quite simply, the best book on religion and war I have read. It is not merely meticulously researched, theoretically interesting, and methodologically sophisticated, it is also extremely well written.... Hassner develops a framework for studying religious sites based on a site's 'vulnerability' and its 'centrality.' This enables him to estimate the importance of sites in the eyes of worshippers and evaluate the likelihood of conflict erupting over it. He draws on insights from both political science and the sociology of religion... in a careful and sober manner, and in a way that does neither discipline injustice. -- Havard Mokleiv Nygard * Journal of Peace Research *Sacred sites, as Hassner shows, have particular characteristics that may differentiate them from other strategic locations in times of conflict.... War on Sacred Grounds is an illuminating work that takes religious beliefs seriously while placing them within the context of strategic political action. It provides comparative politics with theoretical insights on a highly salient issue, supported by a rich and nuanced treatment of historical examples. -- Natan B. Sachs * Comparative Political Studies *Table of ContentsPrologue: "A Terrifying and Fascinating Mystery" 1. On Sacred GroundsPART ONE: UNDERSTANDING CONFLICTS OVER SACRED SPACES 2. What Is Sacred Space? 3. The Indivisibility Problem 4. Conflict over Sacred Places 5. Mismanaging Conflicts over Sacred PlacesPART TWO: MANAGING CONFLICTS OVER SACRED SPACES 6. The Foundations and Limits of Religious Authority 7. Successful Conflict Management: Jerusalem, 1967 8. Successful Conflict Management: Mecca, 1979 9. Lessons from Conflicts over Sacred SpacesAcknowledgements Notes Index
£16.14
Johns Hopkins University Press Religion and Politics in the Contemporary United
Book SynopsisIncludes essays from a issue of "American Quarterly" that explores the complex and sometimes contradictory ways that religion matters in contemporary public life. This work offers a conversation between scholars in American studies and religious studies. It explores numerous modes through which religious faith has mobilized political action.Trade ReviewGriffith and McAlister offer a superb historiographical overview of trends in both religious studies and American studies-their discussion of religious studies within the academy is especially insightful. -- Andrew Preston Journal of American StudiesTable of ContentsPrefaceIntroduction: Is the Public Square Still Naked?Part I: Engaging State PowerChapter 1. "Favoritism Cannot Be Tolerated": Challenging Protestantism in America's Public Schools and Promoting the Neutral StateChapter 2. Selling American Diversity and Muslim American Identity through Nonprofit Advertising Post-9/11Chapter 3. "The ERA Is a Moral Issue": The Mormon Church, LDS Women, and the Defeat of the Equal Rights AmendmentChapter 4. Hot Damned America: Evangelicalism and the Climate Change Policy DebateChapter 5. Catholics, Democrats, and the GOP in Contemporary AmericaPart II: Politics of the GlobalChapter 6. Islamism and Its African American Muslim Critics: Black Muslims in the Era of the Arab Cold WarChapter 7. "As Americans Against Genocide": The Crisis in Darfur and Interreligious Political ActivismChapter 8. From Exodus to Exile: Black Pentecostals, Migrating Pilgrims, and Imagined InternationalismChapter 9. Who Speaks for Indian Americans? Religion, Ethnicity, and Political FormationPart III: Leaders and Activists Chapter 10. Benjamin Mays, Global Ecumenism, and Local Religious SegregationChapter 11. Impossible Assimilations, American Liberalism, and Jewish Difference: Revisiting Jewish SecularismChapter 12. An Exception to Exceptionalism: A Reflection on Reinhold Niebuhr's Vision of "Prophetic" Christianity and the Problem of Religion and U.S. Foreign PolicyChapter 13. Cesar Chavez in American Religious Politics: Mapping the New Global Spiritual LineChapter 14. Ties That Bind and Divisions That Persist: Evangelical Faith and the Political SpectrumPart IV: Media and PerformanceChapter 15. "Signaling Through the Flames": Hell House Performance and Structures of Religious FeelingChapter 16. Critical Faith: Japanese Americans and the Birth of a New Civil ReligionChapter 17. Back to the Future: Religion, Politics, and the MediaChapter 18. Testimonial Politics: The Christian Right's Faith-Based Approach to Marriage and ImprisonmentChapter 19. "It Will Change the World If Everybody Reads This Book": New Thought Religion in Oprah's Book ClubContributorsIndex
£25.17
Ohio University Press The Politics of Compassion and Transformation
Book SynopsisIn our time, we require a religion, ethics, and politics adequate to confront the global crises we face. In our scientific era of “progress,” we might expect to look with confidence to the “scientific” disciplines of political science, sociology, and economics to solve the problems of our civilization.Trade Review“[Simpson] argues forcefully and convincingly for ‘a new politics of compassion and transformation’…As a blend of religion and politics molded into a prescription for action, it is an intriguing work.” * Perspectives on Political Science *“This book deserves a wide readership. It is required reading for anyone who is concerned about translating spirituality into action in contemporary life. It is an extremely helpful resource for courses on urban affairs, spirituality, practical theology and social action by religious organizations.” * Chicago Theological Seminary *
£21.59
Stanford University Press Making Religion Making the State
Book SynopsisThis volume combines the perspective of religion as a constructed category of modernity with the analytic focus and empirical grounding of institutional social science to develop a new approach to the study of state and religion in modern and contemporary China.Trade Review"Ashiwa and Wank argue that their institutional analysis of the 'space' of religious practice allows for a much more dynamic and accurate understanding of the conditions of religious practice and communities. . . This allows the chapters in this volume not just to show where there are conflicts between religious communities and the state, but even more intriguingly where there are not. . . I suspect that implementing the dynamism of the institutional field model that Ashiwa and Wank advocate might be a useful first step in shaping a much more effective analysis of the religions of the minorities of China."—Thomas Bochert, Religious Studies Review"Taken as a whole, Making Religion, Making the State successfully grapples with the roles played by representatives of the state and members of religious movements in terms of shaping the formation of modern Chinese religious culture. The papers presented in this volume highlight the striking diversity of institutionalization processes during the modern era by presenting data on how these can vary according to historical, political, economic, and ethnic factors. The authors also deserve credit for their interdisciplinary approach to these issues, particularly in terms of completing detailed field studies based on extensive interviewing."—Paul R. Katz, Journal of Chinese Religions"This well-documented and adequately referenced book should be compulsory reading material for students of Chinese religion and politics or intellectuals interested in the sociology/anthropology of religion or researchers in the field of comparative religion."—E. Van Laerhoven, Acta Comparanda"This book is highly recommended to scholars of both religious affairs and local developments and policies. Furthermore, it provides plenty of avenues for research into local religious issues from a social science perspective."—Thomas Heberer, The China Journal"Making Religion, Making the State, seeks to explain the process of institutionalizing the modern concept of religion in the state and in the religion. It combine cutting-edge perspectives on religion with rich empirical data to offer a challenging new argument about the politics of religion in modern China."—Janet Carrol, Missiology"Making Religion, Making the State is an important contribution to the field of religious studies.... [It] is a great collective work that will be helpful to all scholars interested in the evolving relations between religion and the state."—Sebastien Billioud, China Perspectives"Everyone who works on Chinese religion will have to read this book."—Robert Weller, Boston University"This is an outstanding and much-needed contribution to the social-scientific study of religion in the modern PRC. The unifying theme is that religion occupies a certain 'space' in modern Chinese polity and society, and that that space is in constant negotiation among a multitude of actors: the central state, local state authorities, nationwide religious organizations, local religious organizations, individual religious institutions, and local society. This is an advance over previous scholarship, which tended to pit an essentialized 'religion' against an all-powerful 'state' in a two-way struggle in which the 'state' enjoyed the advantage." —Charles Jones, The Catholic University of America
£91.80
Stanford University Press Making Religion Making the State
Book SynopsisThis volume combines the perspective of religion as a constructed category of modernity with the analytic focus and empirical grounding of institutional social science to develop a new approach to the study of state and religion in modern and contemporary China.Trade Review"Ashiwa and Wank argue that their institutional analysis of the 'space' of religious practice allows for a much more dynamic and accurate understanding of the conditions of religious practice and communities. . . This allows the chapters in this volume not just to show where there are conflicts between religious communities and the state, but even more intriguingly where there are not. . . I suspect that implementing the dynamism of the institutional field model that Ashiwa and Wank advocate might be a useful first step in shaping a much more effective analysis of the religions of the minorities of China."—Thomas Bochert, Religious Studies Review"Taken as a whole, Making Religion, Making the State successfully grapples with the roles played by representatives of the state and members of religious movements in terms of shaping the formation of modern Chinese religious culture. The papers presented in this volume highlight the striking diversity of institutionalization processes during the modern era by presenting data on how these can vary according to historical, political, economic, and ethnic factors. The authors also deserve credit for their interdisciplinary approach to these issues, particularly in terms of completing detailed field studies based on extensive interviewing."—Paul R. Katz, Journal of Chinese Religions"This well-documented and adequately referenced book should be compulsory reading material for students of Chinese religion and politics or intellectuals interested in the sociology/anthropology of religion or researchers in the field of comparative religion."—E. Van Laerhoven, Acta Comparanda"This book is highly recommended to scholars of both religious affairs and local developments and policies. Furthermore, it provides plenty of avenues for research into local religious issues from a social science perspective."—Thomas Heberer, The China Journal"Making Religion, Making the State, seeks to explain the process of institutionalizing the modern concept of religion in the state and in the religion. It combine cutting-edge perspectives on religion with rich empirical data to offer a challenging new argument about the politics of religion in modern China."—Janet Carrol, Missiology"Making Religion, Making the State is an important contribution to the field of religious studies.... [It] is a great collective work that will be helpful to all scholars interested in the evolving relations between religion and the state."—Sebastien Billioud, China Perspectives"Everyone who works on Chinese religion will have to read this book."—Robert Weller, Boston University"This is an outstanding and much-needed contribution to the social-scientific study of religion in the modern PRC. The unifying theme is that religion occupies a certain 'space' in modern Chinese polity and society, and that that space is in constant negotiation among a multitude of actors: the central state, local state authorities, nationwide religious organizations, local religious organizations, individual religious institutions, and local society. This is an advance over previous scholarship, which tended to pit an essentialized 'religion' against an all-powerful 'state' in a two-way struggle in which the 'state' enjoyed the advantage." —Charles Jones, The Catholic University of America
£22.49
Stanford University Press The Problem with Grace
Book SynopsisThe Problem with Grace develops a post-secular, post-sectarian political theology and shows how a series of religious concepts (such as love, faith, liturgy, and revelation) can be constructively used today in both political theory and political practice.Trade Review"The Problem with Grace is a strange and wonderful book, anti-intellectual in the best sense. The defense of the ordinary here, indebted to the work of the late Gillian Rose, will threaten scholars in a wide variety of fields at the same time that the examples Lloyd invokes will energize them and enliven their classrooms. We live in an age in which the slow is at its maximal appeal: slow food, slow art, slow sex. Lloyd's work is the first I know that can be proudly described as slow thinking." -- Martin Kavka * Florida State University *"Many books are produced each year within the discipline of political theology; very few, if any, are like The Problem with Grace. . . . [It] is likely to exert a gravitational force on the direction of political theology, which will be better off for it." -- Rick Elgendy"The Problem with Grace is a noteworthy contribution to contemporary debates about political theology . . . It offers a valuable warning against the seductive idea that God, or religious discourse, or post-secular thinking can save us from the difficulties and frustrations of mundane political life." -- Peter Brickey LeQuire * Politics & Religion *"This is an important book, not only for its exquisite handling of complex figures, arguments, problems, and tensions, but because it displays so well what its thesis is all about: a political theology that disenchants the sphere of the ordinary. Lloyd wants a political theology that is always moving about in the jagged messiness of ordinary living, where values, norms, and practices are already understood and policed by religious languages and practices. This book will deepen post-modern/post-liberal discussions of religion and public life, public theology, and political theology." -- Victor Anderson
£18.89
Stanford University Press Violence Taking Place
Book SynopsisWhile the construction of architecture has a place in architectural discourse, its destruction, generally seen as incompatible with the very idea of culture, has been neglected in theoretical and historical discussion. Responding to this neglect, Herscher examines the case of the former Yugoslavia and in particular, Kosovo, where targeting architecture has been a prominent dimension of political violence. Rather than interpreting violence against architecture as a mere representation of deeper social, political, or ideological dynamics, Herscher reveals it to be a form of cultural production, irreducible to its contexts and formative of the identities and agencies that seemingly bear on it as causes. Focusing on the particular sites where violence is inflicted and where its subjects and objects are articulated, the book traces the intersection of violence and architecture from socialist modernization, through ethnic and nationalist conflict, to postwar reconstruction. Trade Review"Overall, the book Violence Taking Place: The Architecture of the Kosvo Conflict is a thoughtful and detailed study of the complex relationships between architecture and violence. It provides an insightful view of the specifics of the Kosvo conflict and the broader context needed in our attempts to understand the war in former Yugoslavia." -- Dijana Alic * International Journal of Islamic Architecture *"Andrew Herscher's precise and meticulously researched book, Violence Taking Place, argues that not only is architectural destruction a symbol of violence but also that architecture forms a necessary context for violence to take place . . . Violence Taking Place represents the first architectural history of political violence in relation to historical preservation, and in doing so suggests a new area of concern for critical heritage studies. This is an important book that deserves to be read widely by those working in the field of historic preservation." -- Rodney Harrison * Future Anterior *"An incredible description of the relations between architecture, politics and human rights. The text and narrative are painfully beautiful." -- Malkit Shoshan * Architect, The Foundation for Achieving Seamless Territory, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Abitare: International Design Magazine *"This book offers an extraordinary contribution to the existing interdisciplinary scholarship around the Yugoslav wars (and the nature of what is termed 'ethnic violence' more generally) on the one hand, and to work that explores the place of architecture in peace and conflict studies on the other. The author insists on architecture's role in making identities, marshaling a nuanced understanding of the Kosovo experience to explore broader, more theoretical themes in a way that is uniquely compelling." -- Sari Wastell, Goldsmiths * University of London *"In this painstakingly researched study of the destruction and reconstruction of Kosovo's culturescape, Andrew Herscher brilliantly defamiliarizes received wisdom concerning the relation between monuments and war in general. Keeping his eye on the specificity of this particular environment and on the general characteristics of contemporary conflict at once, Herscher interprellates between what is unique and what is, tragically, all-too-common in the 'urbicides' of the present geopolitical order. This is a work that will inform and challenge anyone with an interest in the dynamics of contemporary conflict and in the new transnational cultures of reconstruction." -- Daniel Bertrand Monk * Colgate University *
£70.55
Stanford University Press Violence Taking Place
Book SynopsisWhile the construction of architecture has a place in architectural discourse, its destruction, generally seen as incompatible with the very idea of culture, has been neglected in theoretical and historical discussion. Responding to this neglect, Herscher examines the case of the former Yugoslavia and in particular, Kosovo, where targeting architecture has been a prominent dimension of political violence. Rather than interpreting violence against architecture as a mere representation of deeper social, political, or ideological dynamics, Herscher reveals it to be a form of cultural production, irreducible to its contexts and formative of the identities and agencies that seemingly bear on it as causes. Focusing on the particular sites where violence is inflicted and where its subjects and objects are articulated, the book traces the intersection of violence and architecture from socialist modernization, through ethnic and nationalist conflict, to postwar reconstruction. Trade Review"Overall, the book Violence Taking Place: The Architecture of the Kosvo Conflict is a thoughtful and detailed study of the complex relationships between architecture and violence. It provides an insightful view of the specifics of the Kosvo conflict and the broader context needed in our attempts to understand the war in former Yugoslavia." -- Dijana Alic * International Journal of Islamic Architecture *"Andrew Herscher's precise and meticulously researched book, Violence Taking Place, argues that not only is architectural destruction a symbol of violence but also that architecture forms a necessary context for violence to take place . . . Violence Taking Place represents the first architectural history of political violence in relation to historical preservation, and in doing so suggests a new area of concern for critical heritage studies. This is an important book that deserves to be read widely by those working in the field of historic preservation." -- Rodney Harrison * Future Anterior *"An incredible description of the relations between architecture, politics and human rights. The text and narrative are painfully beautiful." -- Malkit Shoshan * Architect, The Foundation for Achieving Seamless Territory, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Abitare: International Design Magazine *"This book offers an extraordinary contribution to the existing interdisciplinary scholarship around the Yugoslav wars (and the nature of what is termed 'ethnic violence' more generally) on the one hand, and to work that explores the place of architecture in peace and conflict studies on the other. The author insists on architecture's role in making identities, marshaling a nuanced understanding of the Kosovo experience to explore broader, more theoretical themes in a way that is uniquely compelling." -- Sari Wastell, Goldsmiths * University of London *"In this painstakingly researched study of the destruction and reconstruction of Kosovo's culturescape, Andrew Herscher brilliantly defamiliarizes received wisdom concerning the relation between monuments and war in general. Keeping his eye on the specificity of this particular environment and on the general characteristics of contemporary conflict at once, Herscher interprellates between what is unique and what is, tragically, all-too-common in the 'urbicides' of the present geopolitical order. This is a work that will inform and challenge anyone with an interest in the dynamics of contemporary conflict and in the new transnational cultures of reconstruction." -- Daniel Bertrand Monk * Colgate University *
£18.99
Stanford University Press Mark of the Sacred
Book SynopsisJean-Pierre Dupuy, prophet of what he calls enlightened doomsaying, has long warned that modern society is on a path to self-destruction. In this book, he pleads for a subversion of this crisis from within, arguing that it is our lopsided view of religion and reason that has set us on this course. In denial of our sacred origins and hubristically convinced of the powers of human reason, we cease to know our own limits: our disenchanted world leaves us defenseless against a headlong rush into the abyss of global warming, nuclear holocaust, and the other catastrophes that loom on our horizon. Reviving the religious anthropology of Max Weber, Emile Durkheim, and Marcel Mauss and in dialogue with the work of René Girard, Dupuy shows that we must remember the world''s sacredness in order to keep human violence in check. A metaphysical and theological detective, he tracks the sacred in the very fields where human reason considers itself most free from everything it judges irrational: scieTrade Review"Dupuy approaches the philosophical question at the very heart of today's social and economic crisis: how is self-transcendence possible? How is it that, although we all know that market is just the result of the interaction of millions of individual acts, it appears to all of them as a foreign autonomous power? Through a close reading of Christian theology, Hegel, Heidegger, and Rene Girard, Dupuy provides a unique answer which shatters all our common wisdoms. The Mark of the Sacred is one of those rare books that cannot simply be measured by academic standards because they themselves set new standards–a book which, in an enlightened well-organized state, should be printed and freely distributed in all schools!"—Slavoj Žižek"This book explores the relation between violence and religion, but not to endorse the common opinion that we can escape the first by abandoning the second. On the contrary, Dupuy argues that there is a dimension of religion and of the sacred which is inescapable even in a secular age. He challenges us to question the complacency of our received wisdom and forces us to reexamine some of our most cherished self-images of modern liberal democratic societies."—Charles Taylor"I'd recommend that all Californians — as citizens of a global hub for apocalyptic and utopian thinking — read [this] most accessible book."—Joe Mathews, LA Daily News
£74.70
Stanford University Press Opus Dei
Book SynopsisIn this book, Agamben investigates the roots of the modern moral concept of duty in the theory and practice of Christian liturgy.Trade Review"Opus Dei: An Archaeology of Duty is a bold and engaging book, opening up much fertile ground for future work. I find it to be both insightful and admirable, and a masterly success."—Analysis & Metaphysics
£66.60
Stanford University Press Religion in Public
Book SynopsisThis book reconstructs John Locke's political theology to offer a revolutionary theory of the secular as public religion.Trade Review"It may seem impossible to say anything new about John Locke, but Elizabeth Pritchard has done just that. Combining careful readings of Locke's texts with creative applications of Lockean principles to contemporary disputes over culture, religion, and identity, her book will command a broad audience. The Locke, and the Lockeanism, that emerges here is more subtle, more nuanced, and frankly more interesting than the cardboard cut-out so often praised or denounced in contemporary discussions of liberalism. Political theorists, historians, and scholars of religion and culture should all find their views of Locke challenged and enriched in Pritchard's multifaceted reconsideration of this key figure and his legacy." -- Andrew R. Murphy * Rutgers University *
£84.15
Stanford University Press Religion in Public
Book SynopsisThis book reconstructs John Locke's political theology to offer a revolutionary theory of the secular as public religion.Trade Review"It may seem impossible to say anything new about John Locke, but Elizabeth Pritchard has done just that. Combining careful readings of Locke's texts with creative applications of Lockean principles to contemporary disputes over culture, religion, and identity, her book will command a broad audience. The Locke, and the Lockeanism, that emerges here is more subtle, more nuanced, and frankly more interesting than the cardboard cut-out so often praised or denounced in contemporary discussions of liberalism. Political theorists, historians, and scholars of religion and culture should all find their views of Locke challenged and enriched in Pritchard's multifaceted reconsideration of this key figure and his legacy." -- Andrew R. Murphy * Rutgers University *
£21.59
Stanford University Press Our NonChristian Nation
Book SynopsisIn recent years, members of minority religions and atheists have rightly taken advantage of Supreme Court decisions that open up government funding, institutions, and property to participate in public life alongside the Christian majority. Jay Wexler argues for the importance of this movement and travels around the country to meet some of the people on its front line.Trade Review"Timely, trenchant, and tremendously engaging, Our Non-Christian Nation is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the contemporary battles over religion's role in our national politics and culture." -- Phil Zuckerman * author of Living the Secular Life *"In this brilliantly erudite and hugely entertaining romp through recent religious and legal history, Jay Wexler shows why, as our country becomes more religiously diverse, non-Christians need to get their voices heard and Christians need to help repair the wall between church and state. A marvelous read." -- Michael Shermer * Skeptic magazine *"What would it mean to take seriously the idea of religious diversity in the public sphere? Jay Wexler tells the stories of Wiccans, Muslims, and other religious and non-religious groups outside the mainstream who show what existing constitutional doctrine means in practice. The picture he paints provokes us to think differently about what that doctrine should be." -- Mark Tushnet * Harvard Law School *"In this fine book, Jay Wexler urges humanists, atheists, Satanists, and members of minority religious traditions to take advantage of a fascinating new phenomenon: the opening of public space to a variety of beliefs and institutions. His compelling account of 'belief' in public life will be of interest to the deeply religious as well as those who cringe at the very thought of religion. I highly recommend it." -- Anthony B. Pinn * author of Humanism: Essays on Race, Religion and Cultural Production *"A zesty, opinionated assessment of how non-Christians should actually behave....With curiosity and openness, Wexler performs the action that he advocates: that is, making heard a 'cacophony' of voices in public life so that different viewpoints get brought to the fore." -- Dan Friedman * Los Angeles Review of Books *"A fascinating read, and a wonderfully hopeful one...For anyone who feels marginalized as a pagan, nonbeliever, or just not a Christian, it's a manifesto for effective and often hilarious resistance." -- Houston Chronicle"Wexler...has made a timely, at times funny, and compelling piece of reportage looking at a variety of religious groups, as well as a strong argument for the importance of a pluralistic society." -- The Boston Globe"[T]his book was written for the general public, which often struggles to understand the jurisprudence surrounding religious freedom. Even professors of religious studies often need help in this area....Wexler's writing makes this book ideal for getting undergraduates interested in these issues." -- Joseph Laycock * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *"[An] artfully presented, quite accessible, guide to major legal issues faced by minority faiths in America...recommended for all interested in such topics." -- James T. Richardson * Nova Religio *"Wexler's greatest strength is his ability to describe current case law in readily digestible terms, making his work an ideal resource for undergraduates interested in religion and American politics. . .[T]his work can serve as an ideal entry point into important classroom conversations regarding the place of religions, especially minorities, in American law, as well as how both public and legal discourses have shaped the role of religion in American life." -- Savannah Finver * Religious Studies Review *Table of ContentsContents and AbstractsIntroduction chapter abstractThis chapter presents the main themes, issues, and arguments of the book. After an opening vignette describing the efforts of the Satanic Temple to erect a veterans monument in a small Minnesota town, the chapter introduces the First Amendment, particularly the Establishment Clause and the concept of separation of church and state as set out by the Supreme Court. It traces demographic changes in the country's religious makeup that have rendered the nation far less Christian and more secular than at previous times in its history. After a discussion of the issue of defining religion, the chapter sets forth the book's primary argument—namely, that a religiously diverse public square is preferable to one dominated by Christianity. One: Mummies, Monuments, and Monotheism: Religious Displays as Government Speech chapter abstractThis chapter discusses the constitutional doctrine of government speech under the First Amendment as it relates to the erection of religious monuments on public property. It does so, first, by describing and evaluating cases concerning the constitutionality of various Ten Commandments monuments under the Establishment Clause, and particularly the case of Van Orden v. Perry, which upheld such a monument on the grounds of the Texas Capitol. The chapter goes on to discuss the ultimately unsuccessful efforts of the small religious group known as the Summum, located in Salt Lake City, to have a Utah town erect a monument to its "Seven Aphorisms" in a park next to the community's Ten Commandments monument. The author's trip to visit the Summum and understand its mummification practices is described. Two: Pagans, Pentacles, and Pluralism: Religious Displays in the Public Forum chapter abstractThis chapter contrasts the government speech doctrine discussed in chapter 1 with the more minority-friendly First Amendment free speech doctrine known as the designated public forum. Under this doctrine, if the government designates a part of its property for private speech, including religious speech, it may not exclude speech on the basis of the viewpoint that is expressed by that speech. After explaining the doctrine, the chapter describes the successful efforts of Pagans and Wiccans, under the leadership of Wiccan priestess Selena Fox and through litigation brought by Americans United for Separation of Church and State, to get the Department of Veterans Affairs to allow Pagans buried in national cemeteries to have pentacles displayed on their headstones. The chapter also describes the author's visit to Fox's Circle Sanctuary in Wisconsin to participate in a Veterans Day event. Three: Secularism, Statehouses, and School Boards: Prayers and Invocations before Government Bodies chapter abstractThis chapter investigates the historical practice of prayer-giving before legislatures and other government bodies, as well as the Supreme Court's treatment of the practice in, most recently, the case of Town of Greece v. Galloway. Under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, the Court has held that legislative prayer and other religious invocations before government bodies are constitutional so long as the government has a policy of antidiscrimination—i.e., it will not discriminate on the basis of religion when inviting or allowing people to pray before meetings. The chapter investigates specifically the invocation given before the monthly town meeting of the Town of Greece (New York) by an Atheist who had previously sued the town unsuccessfully. The author's trip to witness this invocation is described. Four: The Satanic Temple: Taking It to a Whole 'Nother Level chapter abstractThis chapter takes an in-depth look at the key player in the phenomenon described in the book, namely the Satanic Temple. The chapter provides a brief history of Satanism, including a discussion of the Romantic Satanists, a literary movement in the eighteenth century that was the first to recover the symbol of Satan as a positive figure. The chapter also discusses the rise of the Church of Satan in the Bay Area in the 1960s, as well as the so-called Satanic Panic of the 1980s, in which people were wrongly accused of crimes committed in the name of Satan. The chapter then relates the history and doctrine of the Satanic Temple and describes its efforts to give legislative invocations and place monuments on public property (including its nine-foot-tall bronze monument to Baphomet). Five: Muslims, Money, and Middle Schools: Government Funding of Religion chapter abstractThis chapter investigates the issue of government funding of religion. After a brief foray into the Establishment Clause in this area, including a discussion of the important voucher school case Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, the chapter describes how some minority religious groups such as the Unification Church and the Church of Scientology have received public funding for their programs. The chapter also relates how Christian legislators in several states have objected to the inclusion of Islamic schools in their proposed voucher programs and then investigates these Islamic schools through the author's trip to the Al-Iman School in North Carolina. Six: Atheists, the Antichrist, and After-School Clubs: Religious Activities in the Public Schools chapter abstractThis chapter concerns the activities of religious groups in the public schools, one of the most controversial issues in church-state law, given the importance of these schools to the formation of future citizens. At the outset, the chapter explains the First Amendment law governing this area, including cases about teaching alternatives to evolution in the biology curriculum. Next, the chapter examines a series of cases in which the Supreme Court has held that if public schools open their facilities to after-school clubs, they may not exclude religious clubs, such as Good News Clubs, from using those facilities. After laying out the law, the chapter then examines efforts by Atheists, the Satanic Temple, and others to distribute religious literature and to start their own after-school clubs in the public schools. Conclusion: Conclusion chapter abstractThe concluding chapter begins with a brief recap of the four key descriptive points that the book has advanced and then proceeds to argue that the movement to increase minority participation in American public life is one that should be celebrated and continued. Specifically, the chapter argues that a religiously cacophonous public square is preferable to an entirely Christian one because it is more consistent with American ideals of free expression and diversity of ideas as enshrined in the First Amendment, because it may promote a more educated citizenry with regard to religion, and because this improved education may result in greater social peace. The chapter also considers potential counter-arguments and pitfalls of encouraging an increased role for religion in the public square, including the possibility that anti-liberal or parody organizations will seek to participate in public life.
£18.99
LSU Press Evangelicals and Presidential Politics
Book SynopsisUsing as their starting point a 1976 Newsweek cover story on the emerging politicization of evangelical Christians, contributors to this collection engage the scholarly literature on evangelicalism from a variety of angles to offer new answers to persisting questions about the movement.
£31.46
University of Pennsylvania Press Beyond the Persecuting Society
Book SynopsisBeyond the Persecuting Society constructs a history of toleration from the Middle Ages through the seventeenth century.Trade Review"Beyond the Persecuting Society confronts the myth that there was no general conception or practice of religious toleration before the Enlightenment. . . . It is the great strength of this collection that the diversity and richness of the often tentative allowance for confessional pluralism can be documented at times when unity of faith was seen as no less necessary than unity of obedience." * Albion *
£25.19
