Religion and Nationalism in Global Perspective

Offers a new framework for understanding how religion and nationalism interact across diverse countries and religious traditions.

J. Christopher Soper (Author), Joel S. Fetzer (Author)

9781107189430, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 11 October 2018

280 pages, 14 b/w illus. 27 tables
23.6 x 15.8 x 2.1 cm, 0.53 kg

'This book is well written, offers a cogent argument, and makes use of multiple methodologies to lend credence to its claims … a praiseworthy achievement that many works have been unable to offer so succinctly while covering such a wide terrain.' Allyson F. Shortle, Politics and Religion

It is difficult to imagine forces in the modern world as potent as nationalism and religion. Both provide people with a source of meaning, each has motivated individuals to carry out extraordinary acts of heroism and cruelty, and both serve as the foundation for communal and personal identity. While the subject has received both scholarly and popular attention, this distinctive book is the first comparative study to examine the origins and development of three distinct models: religious nationalism, secular nationalism, and civil-religious nationalism. Using multiple methods, the authors develop a new theoretical framework that can be applied across diverse countries and religious traditions to understand the emergence, development, and stability of different church-state arrangements over time. The work combines public opinion, constitutional, and content analysis of the United States, Israel, India, Greece, Uruguay, and Malaysia, weaving together historical and contemporary illustrations.

1. A theory of religion and nationalism
2. United States: stable civil-religious nationalism
3. Israel: unstable civil-religious nationalism
4. Greece: stable religious nationalism
5. Malaysia: unstable religious nationalism
6. Uruguay: stable secular nationalism
7. India: unstable secular nationalism
8. Pitfalls and opportunities on the religious path to nationalism
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Comparative politics [JPB], Political science & theory [JPA], Politics & government [JP], Social theory [JHBA], Sociology [JHB], Religion: general [HRA], Religion & beliefs [HR]