Religion and Political Power

Abstract

The upheaval in contemporary world politics reveals a renewed interestin religion; similarly, the current anarchy in rehgious thought and institutionsoften demonstrates a not-so-subtle interest in politics. Hence, for politicalscientists, among others, new studies of religion and politics are alwayswelcome. Except for two essays in this volume, all were presented in 1986at a seminar on “Religion and Nationalism: held under the auspices of theNational Endowment for the Humanities at the University of California, SantaBarbara. The two essays mentioned, those of Alexandre Benningsen andStephen Feuchtwang (who did not attend the seminar) were commissionedseparately.The editors of this collection are Gustavo Benavides, a lecturer in theDepartment of Religious Studies at Villanova University; and M. W. Daly,an assistant professor in the Department of History at Memphis StateUniversity.The broad-ranging seminar explored the role played by religion in theemergence of the political life of modem states. From India and Sri Lankato the Islamic Republic of Iran, to the resurgence of religious fundamentaismin the United States and its persistence in Israel, the participants discussedthe many forms that the tension between religion and the modem state assumes.However, the thematic thread running through most of the discussions provedto be something more general than the state itself, although it is the statein which it is now manifested. That theme is the exercise of political power;more precisely, the exercise of political power in a context that mobilizesreligious representations.This volume, then, examines the interaction between two of the mostcharged topics in the modem world: religion and politics. It shows theinextricable connection between religious attitudes and responsibilities andpolitical activities.Following an introductory chapter which explores the religiousarticuiations of politid power, the authors examine the role played by religionin the current political situation in several countries. Approaching these casesas anthropologists, historians, sociologists, and political scientists, the authorsmake visible the dialectical relationship between religion and the pursuit ofpolitical power. On the one hand, they demonstrate the political significance ...