Religion and World Affairs

Transcription

1 Tuesday/Thursday 2:20-3:35 Honors K Street Michael Barnett Religion and World Affairs For much of the last century the conventional wisdom in the West was that religion was on the way out. Because of science, reason, technology, economic progress, and new forms of human emancipation, such "childish beliefs" were no longer needed. There was only one problem with this story: it was fantastically incorrect. This course explores the reasons for, and impact of, religion in world affairs. It begins by examining why scholars believed that religion would lose ground in a modern age, and why they were wrong. The remainder of the course examines the ambiguous and polyvalent relationship between religion and world affairs in a number of areas: transnational activism; development; conflict and peacebuilding; and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East. Our goal in this section of the course is not to identify an immediate and direct relationship between religion and these areas of international life, but rather to consider the different ways that religion might be related and always considering the very real possibility that religion s impact is more hype than reality. Readings. There is a lot of reading and it must be done before you come to class. The evening prior to each class session you must me 2-3 observations/comments/or questions provoked by the reading. All chapters, essay, and articles will be available on blackboard. The following books have been ordered and are available for purchase at the bookstore. Scott Atran Talking to the Enemy: Faith, Brotherhood, and the (Un)Making of Terrorists. NY: Ecco Books. Fawaz Gerges America and Political Islam: Clash of Cultures or Clash of Interests? NY: Cambridge University Press. Mark Juergensmeyer Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence. Berkeley: University of California Press. Reinhold Neibuhr The Irony of American History. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Monica Duffy Toft, Daniel Philpott, and Tim Shah God's Century: Resurgent Religion and Global Politics. NY: Norton. Disclaimer: This is a survey course on the relationship between religion and global politics it is not a survey course of the history, culture, and theology of individual religions. General background on different faith traditions are available at the Oxford series Very Short Introductions, which are highly accessible briefs on the history, beliefs, and practices of different religions and their primary texts. For more general background reading see: John Esposito, Darrell Fasching, and Todd Lewis, eds., Religion and Globalization (Oxford University Press, 2008); and Mark Juergenmeyer, ed., The Oxford Handbook of Global Religion (Oxford 2006); and Ted Jalen and Clyde Wilcox, Religion and Politics in Comparative Perspective (Cambridge, 2002).

2 Requirements. There are four written assignments in this course: a short paper; a take-home mid-course essay; two and a research paper; and a final exam. The short paper is due September 27 th (see entry below for details). The mid-course essay, approximately ten pages, will ask that you grapple with the first section of the course on how we might conceive of religion in world affairs; the research paper will ask you to examine a particular event in international life with the specific task of teasing out whether and how religion contributed to the outcome. The final exam will be either take home or in-class (we will see). Office Hours. I have office hours on Tuesdays, from 10-12, at ESIA 501J. I also am available by appointment. is the best way to reach me: barnett@gwu.edu. My telephone number is Rules on Technology. The expectation is that you come to class prepared to discuss the materials. I no longer allow any technology with an on/off button. The one exception is if you have downloaded your readings to a computer and would like to refresh yourself with the readings and refer to them during class. However, all other uses, i.e. ing, facebook, gaming, are strictly prohibited. August 30 Introduction CALENDAR Section I: Is There A Higher Authority than the Sovereign State? September 1 Is There a Religious Resurgence? When folks assert that there is a religious resurgence, what do they mean? What is the evidence? Is this a private or public phenomenon? Are there some regions that are experiencing an upswing? John Micklethwait and Adrian Woolridge God is Back: How the Global Revival of Faith is Changing the World (NY: The Pengiun Press), Introduction. God s Century, chap. 1. Exercise: Go to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and identify five factors that suggest that there is a religious resurgence and five factors that suggest that the world is just as religious/secular as it ever has been. September 6 What is Religion? What do we mean by religion? How do different scholars understand religion? What defines religion? What makes it different than other forms of belief? Does religion require the belief in a deity? Johnathan Benthall Returning to Religion: Why a Secular Age is Haunted by Faith, London: I.B. Taurus. The Cornucopia Model.

3 Mark Cladis Introduction, In Emile Durkheim, Elementary Forms of Religious Life (NY: Oxford University Press). Atram: Chapters William Cavanaugh The Invention of Religion, in his The Myth of Religious Violence, NY: Oxford University Press. September 8 What is Religion? II How should we think about religion in relationship to other factors that are hypothesized to have a significant impact on global life? Some say that economics drives religious, a position made most famous by Marx s derision that religion is the opium of the masses. Does it all come down to economics? Realists might argue that religion is mere ideology, subservient to power politics. Is religion little more than a tool used by political actors? Rhys Williams Religion as Political Resource: Culture or Ideology, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 35, 4, God s Century: Chap. 2 September 13 Secularization Most of the grand social theorists of the past century believed that modernization would slowly eat away at religion, and that peoples and societies would abandon religion in favor of science, rationality, and modernity. What were they seeing? What were they imagining? John Micklethwait and Adrian Woolridge God is Back: How the Global Revival of Faith is Changing the World (NY: The Pengiun Press), Chapters 1-3. Jose Casanova The Secular, Secularizations, Secularisms, in C. Calhoun, M. Juergensmeyer, and J. Van Anterwerpen, eds., Rethinking Secularism, Oxford University Press. Charles Taylor Western Secularity, in C. Calhoun, M. Juergensmeyer, and J. Van Anterwerpen, eds., Rethinking Secularism, Oxford University Press. September 15 The Rise and Fall of a Secularized World? Just when secularization seemed here to stay, religion, by all appearances, made a comeback (see our second meeting as a reminder). What were the signs? What sorts of grand historical forces were creating this global wave? Peter Berger The Desecularization of the World: A Global Overview, in P. Berger, ed., The Desecularization of the World (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm Eerdmans Publishing Company), Philip Gorski and Ates Altinordu After Secularization? Annual Review of Sociology 14, Warren Goldstein "Secularization Patterns in the Old Paradigm," Sociology of Religion, 70, 2, God s Century, chap. 3.

4 September 20 Is the World Religious? The Treaty of Westphalia is widely rumored to have put religious authority, discourse, and beliefs, in its place. But was that really the end of the story? Was Westphalia itself produced by religious forces? And, to what extent does Westphalia, the very organization of international politics, and international authority more generally have a religious basis? Daniel Philpott The Religious Roots of Modern International Relations, World Politics, 52, 2, John Carlson and Erik Owens Reconsidering Westphalia s Legacy for Religion and International Politics, in J. Carlson and E. Owens, eds., The Sacred and the Sovereign: Religion and International Politics (Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press). Tony Blair Faith and Globalization, The Cardinal Lectures, April 3. Elizabeth Shenkman Hurd Secularism and International Relations Theory, in Jack Snyder, ed., Religion and International Relations Theory (NY: Columbia University Press), September 22 Religion and American Foreign Policy, I To what extent is American foreign policy, the foreign policy of a superpower, shaped by religious discourse and commitment? In this first meeting we will read one of the classic statements of Christian realism on American foreign policy, and in the second meeting consider whether and how religious actors shape American foreign policy and perhaps in ways that either define or distort the American national interest. Neibuhr. Irony of American History. Read entire book except chapter 6. Robin Lovin Christian Realism for the Twenty-First Century, Journal of Religious Ethics, 37-4, September 27 Religion and American Foreign Policy, II Walter Russell Mead God s Country. Foreign Affairs., September/October Eric Patterson. ed Christianity and Power Politics, in E. Patterson, ed., Christianity and Power Politics Today: Christian Realism and Contemporary Political Dilemmas (NY: Palgrave MacMillan Press). Short Paper Assignment: Is Obama a Christian Realist? Using the text of his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, please consider whether, how, and in which ways you can see the influence of Neihbur. For background reading, you might want to consult: Liam Julian, Niebuhr and Obama, Policy Review, April/May 2009, 19-33; and David Little, Obama and Niebuhr: Religion and American, Foreign Policy, September 29 Is Religion Too Hot for IR Theory to Handle? International relations theory has a difficult time seeing religion in world affairs. Why is this? Something about international relations theory? Is it something about how international

5 relations treats all deeply-held beliefs, norms, and commitments? Or is religion special? Does it even matter if the world is becoming more religious? Daniel Philpott Has The Study of Global Politics Found Religion? Annual Review of Political Science, 12, pp Andreas Hasenclever and Volker Rittberger Does Religion Make a Difference? Theoretical Approaches to the Impact of Faith on Political Conflict, Millennium, 29, 3, pp Daniel Philpott and Timothy Shah. The Fall and Rise of International Relations History and Theory, in Jack Snyder, ed., Religion and International Relations Theory (NY: Columbia University Press), Section II: Religion, Violence, and Peace October 4 Is Religion the Root of Violence? Part I Samuel Huntington The Clash of Civilizations? Foreign Affairs, 72, July/August. Mark Juergensmeyer, Rethinking the Secular and Religious Aspects of Violence, in C. Calhoun, M. Juergensmeyer, and J. Van Anterwerpen, eds., Rethinking Secularism, Oxford University Press. David C. Rapoport Fear and Trembling in Three Religious Traditions, American Political Science Review, 78, 3, September, October 6 Is Religion the Root of Violence? Part II William Cavanaugh Chapter Three in his The Myth of Religious Violence: Secular Ideology and the Roots of Modern Conflict, New York: Oxford University Press. October 11 Religion and Civil War Monica Toft Getting Religion: The Puzzling Case of Islam and Civil War, International Security, 31, 4, God s Century, Chap. 6. October 13 Sacred Spaces Ron Hassner Sacred Spaces (Ithaca: Cornell University Press), pages October 18 Terrorism Atram: Chapter 6-13 God s Century, Chap. 5 Assaf Moghadam Motives for Martyrdom: Al-Qaida, Salafi Jihad, and the Juergensmeyer: Terror in the Mind of God, chaps 1-2,7-10.

6 October 20 Suicide Bombers Atram: chapters 2, Azam Tamimi The Islamic Debate over Self-inflicted Martyrdom, in Madawi al-rasheed and Marat Shterin, eds., Dying for Faith: Religiously Motivated Violence in the Contemporary World, London: I.B.Tauris, pp Ivan Strenski Sacrifice, Gift and the Social Logic of Muslim Human Bombers, Terrorism and Political Violence, 15, 3. Martha Crenshaw Explaining Suicide Terrorism: A Review Essay, Security Studies, 16, 1, January-March, pp October 25 Religion and Just War, I Jean Elshtain. Reflections on War and Political Discourse: Realism, Just War, and Feminism in a Nuclear Age, in Richard Miller, ed., War in the Twentieth Century: Sources in Theological Ethics (Louisville, KY: Westminister Press), October 27 Religion and Just War, II John Kelsay Arguing the Just War Tradition in Islam. Harvard University Press. Read Chapters 3-6. November 1 Humanitarian Intervention John Carlson Is there a Christian Realist Theory of War and Peace? Reinhold Neibuhr and Just War Thought, Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics, 28,1 Spring/Summer. J. Bryan Hehir Religion, Realism, and Just Intervention, in Dionne, Elshtain, and Drogosz., eds., Liberty and Power: A Dialogue on Religion and U.S. Foreign Policy in an Unjust World (Washington, D.C.: Brookings Press), Niebuhr Brothers The Manchurian Crisis and The Second World War, in Richard Miller, ed., War in the Twentieth Century: Sources in Theological Ethics (Louisville, KY: Westminster Press), 3-24, November 3 Faith-Based Humanitarianism Cecelia Lynch Religious Humanitarianism and the Global Politics of Secularism, in C. Calhoun, M. Juergensmeyer, and J. Van Anterwerpen, eds., Rethinking Secularism, Oxford University Press. Michael Barnett and Janice Stein Introduction: Secularization and Sacralization, in Michael Barnett and Janice Stein, eds., Humanitarian and Faith. Oxford University Press. Jonathan Benthall Returning to Religion (NY: I.B. Tauris), The Humanitarian Movement.

7 November 8 Religion and Conflict Resolution Hassner, War on Sacred Grounds, Part Two November 10 Religion and Peacebuilding God s Century, Chap. 7. Harvey Cox et al., World Religions and Conflict Resolution, in Douglas Johnston and Cynthia Sampson, eds., Religion: The Missing Dimension of Statecraft (Oxford: Oxford University Press,), pp R. Scott Appleby Religion and Conflict Transformation, in his The Ambivalence of the Sacred (NY: Rowman & Littlefield), pp David R. Smock Religion in World Affairs: Its Role in Conflict and Peace, United States Institute of Peace Special Report, February. Gerard Powers Religion and Peacebuilding, in D. Philpott and Gerard Powers, eds., Strategies of Peace: Transforming Conflict in a Violent World (NY: Oxford University Press), pp November 15 Religion and Democracy God s Century, chap. 4. Section III: Religion and American Foreign Policy Toward the Middle East November 17 American Jews and Israel, I Ben Halpren The American Jew: A Zionist Analysis. Schocken Books. Pages to be assigned. November 22 American Jews and Israel, II Special Issue on the Distancing Hypothesis Contemporary Jewry, Vol. 30, No. 2-3, October November 24 Thanksgiving Vacation November 29 American Evangelicals and the Middle East James Skillen. Three Zionisms in the Shaping of U.S. Foreign Policy, in Jonathan Chaplin with Robert Joustra, eds., God and Global Order: The Power of Religion in U.S. Foreign Policy (Baylor University Press). Jeremy Mayer Christian Fundamentalists and Public Opinion Toward the Middle East: Israel s New Best Friends? Social Science Quarterly, 85, 3, September,

8 Melani McAlister What Would Jesus Do? Evangelicals, the Iraq War, and the Struggle for Position, in David Ryan and Patrick Kiely, ed., America and Iraq: Policymaking, Intervention, and Regional Politics, NY: Routledge Press), December 1 U.S. Foreign Policy and Islam, I Fawaz Gerges America and Political Islam: Clash of Cultures or Clash of Interests? Cambridge University Press, chaps December 6 U.S. Foreign Policy and Islam, II Evelyn Alsultany Selling American Diversity and Muslim Identity Through Non- Profit Advertising Post-9/11, American Quarterly, 59, 3, September, Elizabeth Prodromou U.S. Foreign Policy and Global Religious Pluralism, in Thomas Banchoff, ed., Religious Pluralism, Globalization, and World Politics (Oxford University Press, R. Scott Appleby and Richard Cizik, co-chairs Engaging Religious Communities Abroad: A New Imperative for U.S. Foreign Policy. Report of the Task Force on Religion and the Making of U.S. Foreign Policy. Chicago Council on Global Affairs. December 8 Conclusion. God s Century, chap. 8. Atram: Chap. 21.