Religion in the Syntax of Power: A Postsecular Perspective on International Relations

Abstract

Religion research in international relations (IR) has grown exponentially, but has it extended an understanding of religious agency beyond the assumptions of secularism? This article suggests the orientation towards religion in IR is now best described as ‘postsecular’ and employs a linguistic analogy to offer a three-fold argument. First, the study of religion in IR has shifted from a focus on morphology (i.e. the definitional forms of religion) to syntax (i.e. the political functions of religion). Second, by likening the dynamics of IR to the syntax of a sentence, the impacts of religion can be measured by linking religious actors and interests to different word-functions that make up the sentence. This is modelled by comparing the functions of religion in IR against the four noun cases of classical grammar. Third, applying the model highlights the constraint of secular ‘readings’ of the political by illustrating how religion can be sustained throughout the full ‘syntactical range’ of IR, thereby presenting a postsecular ‘reading’ of religion in the discourse of international affairs.