Jim Jose

Rob Imre

At the intersection of politics and religion is a nexus of belief in doctrine and adherence to socio-political cultural conventions. Lines of communication and methods of belonging permeate both spheres, enabling their respective participants, especially the (often self-described) ‘true believers’, to bond and belong, and most importantly to adhere to their various belief systems. Traditionally, this nexus has been approached from a standpoint that posits the idea of secularity as the governing principle. The authors in this volume challenge this orthodoxy. They examine a diverse range of historical and geographic locations involving markedly different religious and political movements. They explore how nation-states develop political religions, how they actively promote a politics infused with religiosity, and how they transfer symbols and meanings from one socio-political construct to another. Despite markedly different philosophical differences, the contributors repudiate the currently dominant orthodoxies on the relationship between religion and politics. They demonstrate that ‘secular’ democracy is not radically separate from religion. Nation-states actively participate in the construction of this nexus even as they extol their commitment to secular values. In so doing, they demonstrate that secularity as it is currently understood remains deeply implicated in the nexus between religion and politics in the twenty-first century.

The Nexus of Politics and Religion in the 21st Century

Not So Strange Bedfellows

Sara C. Motta

Focusing on the increasing refusal and transgression of politics as normal across the globe, this book examines new forms of democratisation, democratic life and political subjectivity, as people seek to gain control over the decisions and processes affecting their lives. The contributors to this volume challenge the hegemonic truth regimes of political science by bringing to our attention practices and discussions on the margins of political theorisation and conceptualisation. They offer a pluridiveristy of theorisations and engagements that mirror the very practises of democratic life of which they speak. They demonstrate how research on the margins enables us to develop and deepen our conceptualisation and engagement with these new forms of democratic thought and practice, and hence our understanding of the political and the transformation of political science. These new forms of politics call into question the epistemological authority of political science, and this book will be of interest to those seeking to understand the increasing trend towards prefigurative epistemologies, decolonising methodologies and participatory forms of becoming political. This book was originally published as a special issue of Social Identities.

Jim Jose

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