When Politics are Sacralized
Comparative Perspectives on Religious Claims and Nationalism

This book provides a comparative, interdisciplinary analysis of the invocation and interaction of religious and national assertions in sacralizing local and global politics.

Nadim N. Rouhana (Edited by), Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian (Edited by)

9781108487863, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 27 May 2021

300 pages
15 x 23 x 2.5 cm, 0.73 kg

Over the years, there have been increasing intersections between religious claims and nationalism and their power to frame and govern world politics. When Politics Are Sacralized interdisciplinarily and comparatively examines the fusion between religious claims and nationalism and studies its political manifestations. State and world politics, when determined or framed by nationalism fused with religious claims, can provoke protracted conflict, infuse explicit religious beliefs into politics, and legitimize violence against racialized groups. This volume investigates how, through hegemonic nationalism, states invoke religious claims in domestic and international politics, sacralizing the political. Studying Israel, India, the Palestinian National Movement and Hamas, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Iran, and Northern Ireland, the thirteen chapters engage with the visibility, performativity, role, and political legitimation of religion and nationalism. The authors analyze how and why sacralization affects political behaviors apparent in national and international politics, produces state-sponsored violence, and shapes conflict.

Introduction
1. A comparative perspective on religious claims and sacralized politics: an introduction Nadim N. Rouhana and Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian
2. Religion and Zionism in the Jewish and nationalist context Amnon Raz-Krakotzkin
3. Religious claims and nationalism in Zionism: obscuring settler colonialism Nadim N. Rouhana
4. On the uses and abuses of tradition: Zionist theopolitics and Jewish tradition Yaacov Yadgar
5. The relations between the nationalization of Israel's politics and the religionization of its military, 1948–2016 Yagil Levy
6. Sacralized politics: the case of occupied East Jerusalem Nadera Shalhoub-Kevorkian
7. Hindutva: the dominant face of Religious nationalism in India Tanika Sarkar
8. The genesis, consolidation, and consequences of Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism Neil DeVotta
9. Serbian Jerusalem: inventing a holy land in Europe's periphery, 1982–2019 Vjekoslav Perica
10. The crossing paths of Religion and nationalism in contemporary Iran Ali Banuazizi
11. Saudi nationalism, Wahhabi Da?w?, and Western power Michael Sells
12. Protestantism and settler identity: the ambiguous case of Northern Ireland David Lloyd
13. Does religion still matter? Comparative lessons from the Ethno-national conflict in Northern Ireland Liam O'Dowd
14. Palestinian nationalism, religious (un)claims, and the struggle against Zionism Khaled Hroub.

Subject Areas: Law & society [LAQ], Constitution: government & the state [JPHC], Political ideologies [JPF], Comparative politics [JPB], Political science & theory [JPA], Politics & government [JP], Social theory [JHBA], History of ideas [JFCX], Religion & politics [HRAM2], Social & political philosophy [HPS]