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Discussions of religion in international relations have often focused narrowly on religious fundamentalism and on the potentially negative consequences of religious differences. This book attempts to take a more balanced and much broader view of the subject, bringing together new research-based studies by specialists from international relations, history and theology. Case-studies and thematic analyses examine both seldom-discussed issues - such as the political consequences of large-scale religious change - and review old themes in new ways.

Today religious concerns stand at the center of international politics, yet key paradigms in international relations, namely realism, liberalism, and constructivism, barely consider religion in their analysis of political subjects. Whether the issue is Islamic terrorism, the Christian Right's foreign policy predilections toward Israel and Southern Sudan, the complications of faith-based Western activism abroad, the potential destabilization of atheist China by the Dalai Lama and Falun Gong, or the threat Burmese monks pose to Myanmar's military regime, the rising prominence of religion challen

"Gender, Religion, and International Relations" published on by Oxford University Press.

Cover -- Half-Title -- Series -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Series Editors' Introduction -- Introduction -- A diplomatic journey -- A methodological overview -- Integrating religion in international relations? -- Religions and violence: myths and reality -- The role of religions in conflict prevention and resolution -- Non-state transnational religious actors -- Book structure -- Part I A Theoretical Overview -- 1 Religion and World Politics -- Religions and inter-state relations -- Religions and internationalism -- Religions and transnationalism -- Religions and globalism -- 2 Religions and Global Governance -- Polity -- Politics -- Policy -- Secularization and governance -- Part II Issues and Applications -- 3 Islam between National and International Politics -- Geopolitics and identity -- Political transitions in the Arab-Islamic world -- Politics and religion in Pakistan: international and transnational dimensions -- The international context -- The analytical context: transnational religions -- Religions and "soft power" -- Transnational Islam: Pakistan as a case-study -- 4 The Catholic Church and the Global Shift of Power -- Interpreting globalization. Between Augustine and Thomas Aquinas -- The Church and the "New World" -- 5 Religious Freedom in the International Practice -- Reciprocity? -- Reporting on religious freedom: credibility and legitimacy -- Standards, actors, legitimacy and policy -- Current practices -- Italian foreign policy and religious freedom -- A case study: the Italian "Observatory on Religious Freedom" -- Index

This comprehensive Handbook examines the relationship between religion and international relations, mainly focusing on several world religions - Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Judaism. Providing a timely update on this understudied topic, it evaluates how this complex relationship has evolved over the last four decades, looking at a variety of political contexts, regions and countries.

Until the end of the Cold War, it is not an exaggeration to say that only a few theorists of International Relations (IR) or policy-makers engaged in either substantial investigation or articulation of the links between cultural variables like religion and ethnicity on one hand and international affairs on the other. In our article, we argue that this pattern does not do justice to the nature of mainstream IR theories. Although studies are accumulating, how (or whether) religion as a variable can be integrated into mainstream IR thinking still remains in question. We look at three main traditions in IR theory — classical realism, structural realism and neoliberalism — to see how religion can contribute to our understanding of international affairs within those frameworks. We claim that, without stretching the limits of theories or disturbing their intellectual coherence, possibilities for two-way interactions between the frameworks and identity-related variables like religion can be identified.

The study of religion and international religions has witnessed an exponential growth in recent decades. Courses and programs exploring the complex entanglements between faith and global politics have likewise mushroomed around the world. Despite this ferment, reflections on teaching religion and international relations have so far lagged behind. This forum seeks to remedy this general silence. It brings together a diverse range of scholars from a multiplicity of national, religious, methodological, and theoretical backgrounds who teach across a variety of different geographical settings including North America, Europe, and East Asia. Contributors reflect on three broad themes. First, how do we engage with the contested character of religion as a category of analysis and practice, and with the multidisciplinary nature of its study? Second, how does the context within which we operate—be it geographical, cultural, institutional, or historical—influence and shape who, what, and how we teach? Third, how do we address the important and, at times, contentious personal and ethical challenges that our research and teaching on religion and politics inevitably raises in the classroom?

AbstractResearch into religion and international relations (RIR) has come incredibly far in the decades since 9/11. However, a tension remains in this research program, as neopositivist scholars simultaneously argue religion both has an independent effect on and interacts with international politics. This has raised critiques of religion's importance. Relational work in international relations—inspired by scholars such as Bourdieu, LaTour, and Tilly—provides a means to overcome this obstacle. While some works on RIR have drawn on this tradition, it has yet to be systematized. In this review article, I discuss three recent books that highlight both the limits of the current approach to RIR and the potential to move it forward by drawing on relational analyses. I also provide guidelines for adjusting future work in this research program.