This book focuses on the role of religion in politics in several distinctive ways. Most books on religion and politics tend to have a narrow focus - usually on a single country or region or, alternatively, on a limited aspect of religion's influence on politics such as secularism, conflict,terror, or state policy. This book, in contrast, takes a wider perspective. First, and perhaps most importantly, it recognizes and emphasizes that religion interacts with politics on multiple levels. These influences may be divided into the influence of the state and the influence of society onpolitics. Second, this volume covers multiple countries in major world regions. The chapters cover the United States, Israel, Turkey, North Africa, and Western Europe, and two chapters include information from the entire world.Although this book will be of interest to scholars, its wide coverage of different topics, relevant theories, and different world regions also makes it excellent as a textbook for a survey course on religion and politics. All of the contributors have published extensively in prominent refereedjournals on the topic of religion and politics, adding to the scholarly authoritativeness of the volume and its desirability as a textbook written by recognized experts.

This volume focuses on religion from a trans-cultural and international perspective. Its aim is to open up new perspectives on how religions might coexist peacefully within 21st century societies and simultaneously contribute to global pacification. Can a religion cope peacefully with the existence of other religions, without having to abandon its own claim to truth, and if so, what already inherent, specific characteristics would have to be emphasized? Or is secular culture the path to convince different religions of a shared ideal of peaceful co-existence? These questions are approached considering the socio-political implications of religions in Asian, African, Latin-American and European contexts. This collection of essays reflects on the entire spectrum of the highly topical and complex academic discussions pertaining to the interrelation of society, state and religion. One example in this collection features the analysis of a secular state engaging in dialog with Muslim communities through a state-moderated communication platform; another article concentrates on the political impact of Christian churches on Nigerian society by means of political advertisement. Moreover, the different concepts of religion in Western societies are considered: one essay argues that in democratic societies it is the state that must guarantee the freedom of religion and thereby provide the basis for a peaceful co-existence between all religions.

The book examines the relationship between religion and state in a comparative perspective with special attention paid to Western and Middle-Eastern experiences. It examines the resurgence of 'fundamentalism' not only in developing nations but also in economically affluent 'post-modern' societies.

Religion is now high on the public agenda, with recent events focusing the world's attention on Islam in particular. This book provides a unique historical and comparative analysis of the place of religion in the emergence of modern secular society. Bryan S. Turner considers the problems of multicultural, multi-faith societies and legal pluralism in terms of citizenship and the state, with special emphasis on the problems of defining religion and the sacred in the secularisation debate. He explores a range of issues central to current debates: the secularisation thesis itself, the communications revolution, the rise of youth spirituality, feminism, piety and religious revival. Religion and Modern Society contributes to political and ethical controversies through discussions of cosmopolitanism, religion and globalisation. It concludes with a pessimistic analysis of the erosion of the social in modern society and the inability of new religions to provide 'social repair'.

Taking a critical approach to the concept of ‘religious pluralism’, this book examines the dynamics of religious co-existence in Asia as they are directly addressed by governments, or indirectly managed by groups and individuals. It looks at the quality of relations that emerge in encounters among people of different religious traditions or among people who hold different visions within the same tradition. Chapters focus in particular on the places of everyday religious diversity in Asian societies in order to explore how religious groups have confronted new situations of religious diversity. The book goes on to explore the conditions under which active religious pluralism emerges (or not) from material contexts of diversity.

With a clear statement of the theoretical issues in the debates about secularization and post-secularism,?Religion and the State: A Comparative Sociology? considers a number of major case studies? from China, Europe, Singapore and South Asia? in order to understand the rise of public religions in the modern state. By distinguishing between political secularization? the separation of state and religion? and social secularization? the transformation of the everyday practice of religion? this volume offers an integrating framework within which to analyze these different societies.

In an era which many now recognise as ‘post-secular’, the role that religions play in shaping gender identities and relationships has been awarded a renewed status in the study of societies and social change. In both the Global South and the Global North, in the 21st century, religiosity is of continuing significance, not only in people’s private lives and in the family, but also in the public sphere and with respect to political and legal systems. The Routledge Handbook of Religion, Gender and Society is an outstanding reference source to these key topics, problems and debates in this exciting subject area. Comprising over 40 chapters by a team of international contributors, the Handbook is divided into 3 parts: Critical debates for religions, gender and society: theories, concepts and methodologies Issues and themes in religions, gender and society Contexts and locations Within these sections, central issues, debates and problems are examined, including activism, gender analysis, intersectionality and feminism, oppression and liberation, equality, bodies and embodiment, space and place, leadership and authority, diaspora and migration, marriage and the family, generation and aging, health and reproduction, education, violence and conflict, ecology and climate change and the role of social media. The Routledge Handbook of Religion, Gender and Society is essential reading for students and researchers in religious studies and gender studies. The Handbook will also be very useful for those in related fields, such as cultural studies, area studies, politics, sociology, anthropology and history.