Religious pluralism, globalization, and world politics

Open All Close All

type

http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#type

about

http://schema.org/about

contributor

http://schema.org/contributor

description

http://schema.org/description

"Religious pluralism is everywhere in today's politics. Increased immigration flows, the collapse of communism, and the globalization of communications technologies have all fostered a wider variety of religious beliefs, practices, and organizations within and across democratic societies. This is true in both the United States and Europe, where growing and diverse minority communities are transforming the political landscape. As a result, controversies over such things as headscarves and depictions of Mohammed are unsettling a largely secular Europe, while a Christian majority in the US faces familiar questions about church-state relations amidst unprecedented religious diversity. Far from receding into the background, religious language pervades arguments around established issues such as abortion and capital punishment, and new ones such as stem cell research and same-sex marriage. In Democracy and the New Religious Pluralism, leading scholars from multiple disciplines explore these dynamics and their implications for democratic theory and practice. What are the contours of this new religious pluralism? What are its implications for the theory and practice of democracy?Does increasing religious pluralism erode the cultural and social foundations of democracy? To what extent do different religious communities embrace similar -- or at least compatible -- ethical and political commitments? By seeking answers to these questions and revealing religious pluralism as both a source of animosity and a potent force for peaceful engagement, this book offers a revealing look at the future of religion in democratic societies."
""In 'Democracy and the New Religious Pluralism', leading scholars from multiple disciplines explore these dynamics and their implications for democratic theory and practice."--Résumé de l'éditeur."
""Work on culture and globalization tends to focus on dynamics of reaction or resistance. Religion generally figures as a defensive response to economic and cultural globalization, a way to assert local identities against the international. The book will highlight another dimension of religion and globalization -- the reconstitution of religious communities as transnational actors. Over the past two decades, global migration patterns and modern communications technologies have spawned more active transnational religious communities, creating a powerful force in world politics. In the case of Islam, for example, Satellite TV, the Internet, and the post 9/11 international context have reinforced the idea of the umma, a transnational Muslim community. All three Abrahamic faiths have always had global identities anchored in faith in one God and universal truth claims. But globalization is driving them -- and other leading traditions, including Hinduism and Buddhism -- to rethink their world-roles in new ways. Yet the international dimensions of religious pluralism have been virtually ignored by scholars. This new religious pluralism is marked by both interreligious cooperation and conflict. Global religious identities have encouraged interreligious dialogue and greater religious engagement around questions including international development, conflict resolution, transitional justice, and bioethics. At the same time, more intense interreligious competition has contributed to controversy over the meaning and scope of religious freedom -- an international norm increasingly prominent in US foreign policy. The book will explore both these dimensions of the new religious pluralism in world politics from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. Among the many distinguished contributors to the volume are Kwame Anthony Appiah, R. Scott Appleby, Robert Drinan, Jean Bethke Elshtain, John Voll, and John Witte. This volume should appeal to scholars and policymakers, as well as being useful for courses in religion and politics and international relations."--Publisher's description."