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This volume is the first systematic scholarly study that analyses the complex relationship between history and religion. It considers religious groups as both producers of historical narratives and topics of historiography. From different disciplinary perspectives, the authors explore how religions are historicised. In so doing, they address the biases and elisions of current analytical and descriptive frames in the history of religion.

Religion ist entgegen allen Säkularisierungserwartungen keineswegs mit der Moderne verschwunden oder auch nur politisch bedeutungslos geworden. Es scheint im Gegenteil, als seien gerade die fundamentalistischen Spielarten aller religiösen Traditionen besonders lebendig in modernen Industriegesellschaften und etablierten Demokratien wie den USA. Die Frage, ob fundamentalistische Religion per se eine Gefahr für den Bestand oder die Etablierung einer rechtsstaatlichen, liberalen Demokratie darstellt, ist daher keine rein akademische. Der vorliegende Beitrag diskutiert die Frage am Beispiel des Diskurses über den "Fundamentalismus". Gezeigt wird, dass die meisten Fundamentalismusdefinitionen die Frage nach dem Verhältnis von religiösem Fundamentalismus und Demokratie konzeptionell verhindern. In allen drei diskutierten sozialwissenschaftlichen Fundamentalismuskonzeptionen wird die Frage schon vorab beantwortet, indem die politische Agenda fundamentalistischer Bewegungen durchweg aus den Merkmalen des religiösen Fundamentalismus abgeleitet wird. Damit wird implizit vorausgesetzt, dass die politische Agenda zwangsläufig aus der religiösen folgt. Diese Zwangsläufigkeit gilt es aber - so Intention und Fazit des Autors - empirisch zu untersuchen, anstatt sie theoretisch vorauszusetzen. (ICA2)

In this book, economist Jean-Philippe Platteau addresses the question: does Islam, the religion of Muslims, bear some responsibility for a lack of economic development in the countries in which it dominates? In his nuanced approach, Platteau challenges the widespread view that the doctrine of Islam is reactionary in the sense that it defends tradition against modernity and individual freedom. He also questions the view that fusion between religion and politics is characteristic of Islam and predisposes it to theocracy. He disagrees with the substantivist view that Islam is a major obstacle to modern development because of a merging of religion and the state, or a fusion between the spiritual and political domains. But he also identifies how Islam's decentralized organization, in the context of autocratic regimes, may cause political instability and make reforms costly

Both religion and sport can inspire great loyalty and shape identities. They have often been in competition for people's time and money but can also be mutually supportive. This book follows the changing nature of their relationship in England from 1800 to the present day, with a focus on Christianity but also considering Judaism and Islam.

In this groundbreaking study of post-conflict Sierra Leone, Lyn Graybill examines the ways in which both religion and local tradition supported restorative justice initiatives such as the national Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and village-level Fambul Tok ceremonies

Native Americans' First Amendment rights are constantly being trampled upon by the United States government. Their minority religion has been ruled inferior in case after case (even by the Supreme Court whose sole purpose is to vote on Constitutional matters) to issues that are more important to the government, businesses, and other institutions.

Résumé Le facteur religieux n'est pas bienvenu dans les sciences sociales occidentales, et en particulier dans les théories des relations internationales. La sécularisation du xxe siècle n'a pourtant nullement fait disparaître le religieux : elle a provoqué son adaptation à un nouvel environnement. Le facteur religieux réapparaît aujourd'hui largement, invitant les théories des relations internationales à le réintégrer, en particulier dans leur analyse des dynamiques conflictuelles.

The Maimonides Review of Philosophy and Religion is an annual collection of double-blind peer-reviewed articles that seeks to provide a broad international arena for an intellectual exchange of ideas between the disciplines of philosophy, theology, religion, cultural history, and literature and to showcase their multifarious junctures within the framework of Jewish studies. Contributions to the Review place special thematic emphasis on scepticism within Jewish thought and its links to other religious traditions and secular worldviews. The Review is interested in the tension at the heart of matters of reason and faith, rationalism and mysticism, theory and practice, narrativity and normativity, doubt and dogma. This volume features contributions by Jeremy Phillip Brown, Libera Pisano, Jeffrey G. Amshalem, Maria Vittoria Comacchi, Jonatan Meir, Rebecca Kneller-Rowe, Isaac Slater, Michela Torbidoni, Guido Bartolucci, and Tamir Karkason

America is a polarized society, the reason is the division between fundamentalists and the enlightened ones -- so says the cliche. However, it has nothing much to do with reality. Believers live their belief individually & creatively & religion can even serve as a unifying force within a multicultural society. E. Sanchez

Feminism in the contemporary United States is a diverse field of thought with several strains of ideological leanings, including liberal, neoliberal, and the contested conservative feminism. Each is uniquely situated in the American context due to the heavy influence of American values and culture-specific definitions of justice, success, and progress. Entrenched in the Western conceptions of secularism and advancement, "modern" feminism in the United States prides itself as the example of peak progressivism, yet does so without critically engaging with its definition of modernity or secularism. In particular, the relationship between religion and feminism is complicated in the U.S., with intersections between the ideas of secularism, justice, and tradition resulting in conflicts between religious and secular understandings of feminism. This paper draws on the results from interviews with 6 college-age and 2 Gen-X subjects of different religions, and analyzes the state of the contemporary understanding of the relationship between feminism, religion, and the valuation of breadwinning versus caregiving in the U.S. The interviews point to a widespread liberal feminist outlook that prioritizes social justice and a choice-based approach to work-life balance, and highlights the divides between those who see feminism as naturally religious, those who are caught in the entanglement of patriarchy and religion, and those who see feminism as a secular endeavor.