1st Edition
The Politics and Practice of Religious Diversity National Contexts, Global Issues
The Politics and Practice of Religious Diversity engages with one of the most characteristic features of modern society. An increasingly prominent and potentially contentious phenomenon, religious diversity is intimately associated with contemporary issues such as migration, human rights, social cohesion, socio-cultural pluralisation, political jurisdiction, globalisation, and reactionary belief systems.
This edited collection of specially-commissioned chapters provides an unrivalled geographical coverage and multidisciplinary treatment of the socio-political processes and institutional practices provoked by, and associated with, religious diversity. Alongside chapters treating religious diversity in the ‘BRIC’ countries of Brazil, Russia, India and China, are contributions which discuss Australia, Finland, Mexico, South Africa, the UK, and the United States.
This book provides an accessible, distinctive and timely treatment of a topic which is inextricably linked with modern society’s progressively diverse and global trajectory. Written and structured as an accessible volume for the student reader, this book is of immediate interest to both academics and laypersons working in mainstream and political sociology, sociology of religion, human geography, politics, area studies, migration studies and religious studies.
Introduction: The Politics and Practice of Religious Diversity: National Contexts, Global Issues by Andrew Dawson Part 1: The ‘BRIC’ Nations 1. Friends and Foes of the ‘Russian World’: The Post-Soviet State’s Management of Religious Diversity by Marat Shterin 2. The Challenges of Managing Religious Diversity in India: Between Hegemonic Domination and the Quest for Equality by Heewon Kim and Gurharpal Singh 3. Islam and the State in Brazil: Reflections on the Freedom of a Minority Religion by Cristina Maria de Castro 4. Religious Diversity and the State in China by Kim-kwong Chan and Graeme Lang Part 2: Governance 5. Governance and Religious Diversity in Australia: Multifaith Relations and Religious Instruction in the State of Victoria by Anna Halafoff 6. Managing Religious Diversity in Finland: From Church Law to Governance Networks by Tuomas Martikainen 7. Religious Diversity and the Shifting Sands of Political Prioritization: Reflections on the UK Context by Andrew Dawson Part 3: Globalizing Modernity 8. The Globalization of Religious Advocacy: Implications for U.S. Foreign Policy by Allen D. Hertzke 9. Diversity, Death and Divinity in Mexico: A Political-Religious Economy of La Santa Muerte by Amalendu Misra 10. State Regulation or ‘Public Religion’? Religious Diversity in Post-apartheid South Africa by Marian Burchardt
Biography
Andrew Dawson is Professor of Modern Religion in the Department of Politics, Philosophy and Religion at Lancaster University, UK. He researches the relations between modern society and religion. His recent publications include: (as author) Sociology of Religion (2011) and Santo Daime: A New World Religion (2013); (as editor) Summoning the Spirits (2011).
"Andrew Dawson has compiled a sterling group of well-known scholars to address how religious diversity is managed in various nations and regions around the world. The chapters present considerable detail, allowing readers a solid understanding of the tremendous variation that exists in managing religion in different societies, and involving different religious groups. The volume Is a welcome addition to the comparative and sociologically informed literature on issues of growing importance to all scholars, policy makers, and citizens in today’s world."
—James T. Richardson, Foundation Professor of Sociology and Judicial Studies, University of Nevada, Reno
"In this volume Andrew Dawson offers a significant contribution to the current discussion on religious diversity through his perceptive introductory essay and the individual chapters of this exemplary and interdisciplinary group of scholars. The geographic range of the volume offers the reader an insightful reference to the myriad forms, origins and contours of religious diversity in specific contexts whilst providing a solid basis for comparative insight. The concept of religious diversity is carefully examined through four themes, each of which captures a key element in debates about the definition, management and responses to religious diversity."
—Lori G. Beaman, Canada Research Chair in the Contextualization of Religion in a Diverse Canada, Department of Classics and Religious Studies, University of Ottawa
