Religion and Power

Religion and Power PDF Author: David Martin
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 131706786X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 273

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Book Description
There are few more contentious issues than the relation of faith to power or the suggestion that religion is irrational compared with politics and peculiarly prone to violence. The former claim is associated with Juergen Habermas and the latter with Richard Dawkins. In this book David Martin argues, against Habermas, that religion and politics share a common mythic basis and that it is misleading to contrast the rationality of politics with the irrationality of religion. In contrast to Richard Dawkins (and New Atheists generally), Martin argues that the approach taken is brazenly unscientific and that the proclivity to violence is a shared feature of religion, nationalism and political ideology alike rooted in the demands of power and social solidarity. The book concludes by considering the changing ecology of faith and power at both centre and periphery in monuments, places and spaces.

Religion and Power

Religion and Power PDF Author: David Martin
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 131706786X
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 273

Get Book Here

Book Description
There are few more contentious issues than the relation of faith to power or the suggestion that religion is irrational compared with politics and peculiarly prone to violence. The former claim is associated with Juergen Habermas and the latter with Richard Dawkins. In this book David Martin argues, against Habermas, that religion and politics share a common mythic basis and that it is misleading to contrast the rationality of politics with the irrationality of religion. In contrast to Richard Dawkins (and New Atheists generally), Martin argues that the approach taken is brazenly unscientific and that the proclivity to violence is a shared feature of religion, nationalism and political ideology alike rooted in the demands of power and social solidarity. The book concludes by considering the changing ecology of faith and power at both centre and periphery in monuments, places and spaces.

The Future of Christianity

The Future of Christianity PDF Author: David Martin
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317031156
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
This book offers a mature assessment of themes preoccupying David Martin over some fifty years, complementing his book On Secularization. Deploying secularisation as an omnibus word bringing many dimensions into play, Martin argues that the boundaries of the concept of secularisation must not be redefined simply to cover aberrant cases, as when the focus was more on America as an exception rather than on Europe as an exception to the 'furiously religious' character of the rest of the world. Particular themes of focus include the dialectic of Christianity and secularization, the relation of Christianity to multiple enlightenments and modes of modernity, the enigmas of East Germany and Eastern Europe, and the rise of the transnational religious voluntary association, including Pentecostalism, as that feeds into vast religious changes in the developing world. Doubts are cast on the idea that religion has ever been privatised and has lately reentered the public realm. The rest of the book deals with the relation of the Christian repertoire to the nexus of religion and politics, including democracy and violence and sharply criticises polemical assertions of a special relation of religion to violence, and explores the contributions of 'cognitive science' to the debate

Pentecostal Power

Pentecostal Power PDF Author: Calvin Smith
Publisher: BRILL
ISBN: 9004192506
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
During the 1980s an explosion of Pentecostalism across Latin America attracted considerable attention among sociologists, political scientists and regional experts, eventually spreading to other academic disciplines. Indeed, ongoing spectacular growth and the social and political impact of the movement have strongly challenged secularization theory. Yet while studies exploring the phenomenon are plentiful, many limit their analysis to a single country, issue or the perspective of a particular discipline. Thus, this edited volume provides readers with a multidisciplinary and continent-wide treatment of the nature and effects of Latin American Pentecostalism (including a theological analysis, notably absent in most studies) by various experts with published work in the field, and as such represents an important contribution to the current literature.

The Civil Sphere in Latin America

The Civil Sphere in Latin America PDF Author: Jeffrey C. Alexander
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 110860949X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 279

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Book Description
Social thinkers have criticized Latin American development as incomplete, backward, and anti-modern. This volume demonstrates that, while often deeply compromised and fragmented, Latin American civil spheres have remained resilient, institutionally and culturally, generating new oppositional movements, independent journalism, rebellious intellectuals, electoral power, and critical political parties. In widely different arenas, dissidents have employed the coruscating language of the civil sphere to pollute their oppressors in the name of justice. In the 1970s and 1980s, political thinkers heralded the resurrection of Latin American civil society, envisioning a new world of freedom and stability. Corruption, inequality, racism, and exclusion become pressing and urgent 'social problems', not despite the promises of democracy, but because of them. The premise of this volume is that Latin American civil spheres are powerful, even as they are compromised, creating challenges to anti-civil culture and institutions that trigger social reform. It is the first of three volumes that place civil sphere theory in a global context.

The Future of Christianity

The Future of Christianity PDF Author: Professor David Martin
Publisher: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN: 1409481344
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 244

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Book Description
This book offers a mature assessment of themes preoccupying David Martin over some fifty years, complementing his book On Secularization. Deploying secularisation as an omnibus word bringing many dimensions into play, Martin argues that the boundaries of the concept of secularisation must not be redefined simply to cover aberrant cases, as when the focus was more on America as an exception rather than on Europe as an exception to the 'furiously religious' character of the rest of the world. Particular themes of focus include the dialectic of Christianity and secularization, the relation of Christianity to multiple enlightenments and modes of modernity, the enigmas of East Germany and Eastern Europe, and the rise of the transnational religious voluntary association, including Pentecostalism, as that feeds into vast religious changes in the developing world. Doubts are cast on the idea that religion has ever been privatised and has lately renetered the public realm. The rest of the book deals with the relation of the Christian repertoire to the nexus of religion and politics, including democracy and violence and sharply criticises polemical assertions of a special relation of religion to violence, and explores the contributions of 'cognitive science' to the debate

Secularization and the World Religions

Secularization and the World Religions PDF Author: Klaus Wiegandt
Publisher: Liverpool University Press
ISBN: 1846311888
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 337

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Book Description
This volume concerns itself with the connections between religions and the social world and with the extent, limits, and future of secularization. Dealing with the major religious traditions and their explicit or implicit ideas about the individual, social, and political order, as well as offering an overview of the religious situation in important geographical areas, Secularization and the World Religions analyzes the legal organization of the relationship between state and religion—as well as the role of the natural sciences—in a global perspective. Contributors include such internationally renowned scholars as Winfried Brugger, José Casanova, Hans Joas, and Hans Kippenberg.

Latin America 1810-2010

Latin America 1810-2010 PDF Author: Claude Auroi
Publisher: World Scientific
ISBN: 1848168470
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 569

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Book Description
The book analyses present Latin American issues in their historical course since independence (beginning 1810) and its aftermath, up to the contemporary period. The authors focus on political, economic, social, environmental and cultural developments. It examines the legacies of the past and the multiple changes that have taken place in the last two centuries. Today''s situation suggests that modernization is well under way and will continue. Offering broad insight into present and future concerns, the book enables readers to evaluate potential areas of economic and social growth, as well as assess risks stemming from past events.

The Cambridge History of Religions in Latin America

The Cambridge History of Religions in Latin America PDF Author: Virginia Garrard-Burnett
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316495280
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 995

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Book Description
The Cambridge History of Religions in Latin America covers religious history in Latin America from pre-Conquest times until the present. This publication is important; first, because of the historical and contemporary centrality of religion in the life of Latin America; second, for the rapid process of religious change which the region is undergoing; and third, for the region's religious distinctiveness in global comparative terms, which contributes to its importance for debates over religion, globalization, and modernity. Reflecting recent currents of scholarship, this volume addresses the breadth of Latin American religion, including religions of the African diaspora, indigenous spiritual expressions, non-Christian traditions, new religious movements, alternative spiritualities, and secularizing tendencies.

Species of Capital in the Political Elite

Species of Capital in the Political Elite PDF Author: Luis Garrido-Vergara
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3030411729
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 299

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Book Description
Although sociological research has examined the reproduction of Chile’s elites, there is little empirical evidence as to how different forms of capital operate within them. Based on a survey of the country’s elites, this study examines the effect of different forms of capital (cultural, social and political) on access to strategic positions in the legislative and executive branches of government. It focuses on the political elite between 1990, when military dictator Augusto Pinochet handed over the presidency to Patricio Aylwin, his democratically elected successor, and 2010, the end of President Michelle Bachelet’s first government. At least three points are germane to this analysis: (1) understanding the nature of the party elites during the political transition; (2) describing and explaining the main aspects of the party elites’ background and social resources, including their family networks (independent variables); and (3) exploring the effect of those variables on individuals’ chances of achieving strategic positions in the political field, comparing the legislative and executive branches as represented by deputies and ministers (dependent variable).

The Image of Gender and Political Leadership

The Image of Gender and Political Leadership PDF Author: Michelle M. Taylor-Robinson
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0197642721
Category : Political leadership
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Book Description
There are many theories as to why women remain severely underrepresented in democratic governments. Perhaps voters do not consider women to be capable leaders, or maybe party elites obstruct women's paths to office because they don't believe that they are electable. But if these attitudes are hurdles standing in the way of women being elected to office, where did they develop? In The Image of Gender and Political Leadership, Michelle M. Taylor-Robinson and Nehemia Geva bring together parallel experiments conducted in countries around the world to compare the ways in which young adults view gender and leadership. Together, the chapters in this book present findings from on-site experiments conducted with over 6,000 young adult students of highly diverse socio-economic backgrounds in eight countries that have varying levels of experience with women in government: Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, England, Israel, Sweden, the United States, and Uruguay. Overall, the book finds little evidence of traditional gender stereotypes that would limit young people's support for women as political leaders. Women candidates are accepted as leaders by the participants, indicating young adults' approval of women's ability to hold diverse posts, win votes, and manage stereotypically masculine policy areas. The book also finds that young adults are very responsive to political party--regardless of gender, they tend to favor candidates from their preferred parties. With an in-depth, cross-national perspective, Taylor-Robinson and Geva provide empirical evidence to dispel myths about what contributes to the low election rates of women, and importantly, investigate logical steps to achieve gender parity.