Handbook on Religion and International Relations

Elgar Handbooks in Political Science

Edited by Jeffrey Haynes, Emeritus Professor of Politics, London Metropolitan University, UK

This comprehensive Handbook examines the relationship between religion and international relations, mainly focusing on several world religions – Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Judaism. Providing a timely update on this understudied topic, it evaluates how this complex relationship has evolved over the last four decades, looking at a variety of political contexts, regions and countries.

‘Notwithstanding, this Handbook provides a very informative treatment of relevant concepts, including but not limited to such notions as the advent of “God’s century” (187), the “global God divide” (200), “track two peace negotiations” (42, 201),“scriptualisation of Islam” (163), “sharia reservations” (218) with regard to freedom of religion and belief and the pro-life and pro-choice debates. Case studies of Turkey and India also prove to be very insightful, particularly from a historical viewpoint. This volume also presents excellent indexing of the most salient themes in the study of political actors’ approaches towards faith in global politics, primarily in Western contexts. This includes some insightful analysis of related topics in the fields of security, gender, environment, immigration, international development and foreign policy, among others.’
– Vahid Nick Pay, The International Spectator

‘This is a highly useful account of the impact of religion on international relations, and perhaps an important counterweight to both its absence in much of the literature, and, conversely, the breathless commentary that can suggest inevitable conflict between different belief structures.’
——安东尼·史密斯,新西兰国际审查

‘The global rise of strident new forms of politicized religion in international relations cries out for a single volume that provides a timely and authoritative overview. This book covers it all – the core issues, the key debates, and the arresting case studies – relating to every religious tradition in all sectors of the world. It is a Handbook that will be essential to policymakers and scholars and to anyone concerned about the persistent role of faith in the global politics of the 21st century.’
– Mark Juergensmeyer, University of California, Santa Barbara, US and author of Global Rebellion: Religious Challenges to the Secular State

“当我们接近th的第一季度末e 21st century, the influence of religion in international relations has perhaps never been more complex and contested. But it also may be that religious ideas and actors – whether in Indonesia or India, America or sub-Saharan Africa, Russia or Brazil, Turkey or Egypt, and on and on and on – have never been more consequential in shaping the identities, perceptions, and conflicts that drive the politics of the modern world. This magnificent volume is an outstanding guide – the best I know – to the complexity and consequences of religion’s role in international relations today.’
– Timothy Samuel Shah, University of Dallas, US

‘This edited volume is a significant contribution to the field of international relations and religion, it exhibits a delicate balance between the upsurge and excessive focus on 9/11 and the exceptionalism associated in most literature between Islam and terrorism. The volume focuses on an all-inclusive analysis of other forms of public and international religious actions and forms of religious authority and their respective interplay on the international level of analysis. The volume’s sections: theory, controversial topics, then case studies, makes it accessible especially to students of international relations as well as specialists on the interaction between religion and international actors.’
– Deina Abdelkader, University of Massachusetts, US

‘An outstanding volume that brings together leading scholars from across different regions of the world providing a truly global perspective. An indispensable introduction for students and anyone keen to understand the complex entanglements between religion and global politics in the 21st century.’
– Gregorio Bettiza, University of Exeter, UK