Religion and Global Politics: Religion and Global Politics

Specifically designed for third- and fourth-year students, Religion and Global Politics examines the relationship between religion and world order. Part I consists of carefully selected case studies that introduce students to the empirical and theoretical questions underpinning religion and politics in the United States, Europe, India, East Asia, and Latin America at both the domestic and the international level. Offering a balanced and objective perspective, Part I examines a variety of faith perspectives including Christianity, Roman Catholicism, Hinduism, Judaism, and Islam. Part II uses essential concepts to explore the role that religion plays in the construction of global order and the way religious groups affect the political process in contemporary societies with respect to issues of human rights, war and peace, conflict resolution, and globalization. Context is provided for students in the form of an introduction (Chapter 1) that lays out the history of religion in global politics, as well as the theories that unite and divide political scientists. In addition, a clear conclusion encourages students to apply what they have learned by discussing the future of religion in global politics. The only text of its kind, Religion and Global Politics suggests the potency and enduring nature of religion in global politics and asks students to consider religion as a serious motivator of political desire. The text includes effective pedagogical tools, such as bolded key terms, chapter-review questions, boxed inserts, chapter conclusions, additional sources, web resources, and a glossary to assist students in engaging with and retaining material.

1 - Introduction and General Theoretical Overview
2 - The Vatican, Roman Catholicism, and Liberation
3 - Christianity and US Foreign Policy
4 - Judaism, Zionism, and Israeli Foreign Policy
5 - Political Islam and the State
6 - Religion and Politics in India
7 - Buddhism and Politics
8 - Religion, Democracy, and Human Rights
9 - Religion and War
10 - Religion and Conflict Resolution
11 - Transnational Religion, Globalization, and Development

Paul S. Rowe is associate professor of political and international studies and senior research fellow in the Religion, Culture, and Conflict Research Group based at Trinity Western University, Langley, BC, Canada. He completed his undergraduate study at the University of Toronto, where he studied international relations and the history and literatures of the ancient Near East. He later completed a master of arts in political science at Dalhousie University, writing primarily on the political economy and related security issues of the Middle East. He earned his PhD at McGill University in 2003, where his dissertation focused upon the politics of Christian minority communities in Middle Eastern states. He has spent extended time in the Middle East and South Asia and continues to study the politics of religious groups in developing countries and at the global level.