Synopses & Reviews
This volume of essays explores the long-unstudied relationship between religion and human security throughout the world. The 1950s marked the beginning of a period of extraordinary religious revival, during which religious political-parties and non-governmental organizations gained power around the globe. Until now, there has been little systematic study of the impact that this phenomenon has had on human welfare, except of a relationship between religious revival to violence. The authors of these essays show that religion can have positive as well as negative effects on human wellbeing. They address a number of crucial questions about the relationship between religion and human security: Under what circumstances do religiously motivated actors tend to advance human welfare, and under what circumstances do they tend to threaten it? Are members of some religious groups more likely to engage in welfare-enhancing behavior than in others? Do certain state policies tend to promote security-enhancing behavior among religious groups while other policies tend to promote security-threatening ones? In cases where religious actors are harming the welfare of a population, what responses could eliminate that threat without replacing it with another?
Religion and Human Security shows that many states tend to underestimate the power of religious organizations as purveyors of human security. Governments overlook both the importance of human security to their populations and the religious groups who could act as allies in securing the welfare of their people. This volume offers a rich variety of theoretical perspectives on the nuanced relationship between religion and human security. Through case studies ranging from Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan, to the United States, Northern Ireland, and Zimbabwe, it provides important suggestions to policy makers of how to begin factoring the influence of religion into their evaluation of a population's human security and into programs designed to improve human security around the globe.
Review
"What a treat...to read Religion and Human Security: A Global Perspective, swimming
upstream to offer a substantial theoretical account of human security and religion as well as in-depth, practical case studies on their at-times rival accounts in specific cultural and political settings. The value of this kind of careful work should not be understated when almost any passable thinking on religion and security is now grant-worthy...An outstanding
contribution to the field." --Journal of Markets and Morality
"A more balanced view of the important and multidimensional roles religion plays in local and international politics." --H-Net Reviews
"Religion and Human Security links two critical factors in international affairs-religion and human security-in important and novel ways, providing insight for both scholars and policymakers on how religion impacts human security. This collection of essays should be required reading for government officials who are increasingly confronted with the challenges of safeguarding human security around the world."
--Steven A. Cook, Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
"This thoughtful book explores the multifaceted role of religion in the human security of contemporary global societies. Through arresting case studies and riveting theoretical reflections, it shows that the religious dimension of social welfare around the world is complex and interrelated. These well-honed essays reveal that while religious ideas and actors can cause much harm, they can also bring moments of healing and hope. It is a book that will be widely discussed in the fields of religion and society, public policy and global affairs."
--Mark Juergensmeyer, author of Global Rebellion: Religious Challenges to the Secular State
Review
"A more balanced view of the important and multidimensional roles religion plays in local and international politics." --H-Net Reviews
"Religion and Human Security links two critical factors in international affairs-religion and human security-in important and novel ways, providing insight for both scholars and policymakers on how religion impacts human security. This collection of essays should be required reading for government officials who are increasingly confronted with the challenges of safeguarding human security around the world."
--Steven A. Cook, Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
"This thoughtful book explores the multifaceted role of religion in the human security of contemporary global societies. Through arresting case studies and riveting theoretical reflections, it shows that the religious dimension of social welfare around the world is complex and interrelated. These well-honed essays reveal that while religious ideas and actors can cause much harm, they can also bring moments of healing and hope. It is a book that will be widely discussed in the fields of religion and society, public policy and global affairs."
--Mark Juergensmeyer, author of Global Rebellion: Religious Challenges to the Secular State
Synopsis
Since the1950s the world has witnessed a period of extraordinary religious revival in which religious political parties and non-governmental organizations have gained power around the globe. At the same time, the international community has come to focus on the challenge of promoting global human security. This groundbreaking book explores how these trends are interacting. In theoretical essays and case studies from Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan, the Americas, Africa and Europe, the contributors address such crucial questions as: Under what circumstances do religiously motivated actors advance or harm human welfare? Do certain state policies tend to promote security-enhancing behavior among religious groups? The book concludes by providing important suggestions to policymakers about how to factor the influence of religion into their evaluation of a population's human security and into programs designed to improve human security around the globe.
About the Author
James Wellman is Associate Professor and Chair of the Comparative Religion at the Jackson School of International Studies. He teaches in the area of American religious culture, history and politics. He has published an award-winning book,
The Gold Church and the Ghetto: Christ and Culture in Mainline Protestantism. He has published two edited volumes,
The Power of Religious Publics: Staking Claims in American Society; the second edited volume,
Belief and Bloodshed: Religion and Violence Across Time and Tradition. His most recent book is
Evangelical vs. Liberal: The Clash of Christian Cultures in the Pacific Northwest received Honorable Mention for the 2009 SSSR Distinguished Book Award.
Clark B. Lombardi is Associate Professor of Law and Adjunct Associate Professor of International Relations at the University of Washington. He focuses on the study of Islamic law, constitutional law, and law and religion. He is the author of State Law as Islamic Law: The Incorporation of the Shari`a into Egyptian Constitutional Law as well as numerous academic articles, and is the editor of the Oxford Islamic Legal Studies series. He has served as a visiting professor at National University of Singapore and Korea University and has consulted with numerous development agencies and governments on legal and constitutional reform, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
1. Clark Lombardi and James K. Wellman, Jr.: Introduction: Religion and Human Security: An Understudied Relationship
2. James K. Wellman, Jr.: The Dance of Desire in Religion and Human Security.
3. Murat Somer: The Janus-Faced Relation of Religious Actors and Human Security: Islamic and Secular Values in Turkey
4. Charles McDaniel: The Role of Human Security in the Contest between the Egyptian Government and the Muslim Brotherhood
5. C. Christine Fair and Clark Lombardi: Popular Muslim Attitudes Towards Violent Islamic Groups: The Case of Pakistan
6. Karen Bhangoo Randhawa: Networking through Religion: The Case of Malerkotla
7. Rowena Robinson: Indian Muslim Leadership: Predicaments and Possibilities for Human Security
8. Jonathan Warren: 'A Little with God is a Lot': Popular Religion and Human Security in the Land of the Brazilian Colonels
9. C. Matthew Samson, Davidson College, Interrogating Human Security and Religion in Guatemala
10. Gladys Ganiel: Striking a Balance: Christianity and the Challenges of Long Term Human Security in Zimbabwe
11. James Tiburcio: Beyond Basic Human Security: The Role of Religious Institutions in Angola
12. Emily Morrison Griffin: In Violence and in Peace: The Role of Religion and Human Security in Northern Ireland
13. Lucien Leustean: Eastern Christianity and Security in Post-War Europe
14. Sayres Rudy: Washed By a Deluge: The Religious Struggle for Human Security in Algeria and Poland
15. Daniel A. Métraux: The Soka Gakkai and Human Security
Bibliography