Winnifred Fallers Sullivan

Politics of Religious Freedom Winnifred Fallers Sullivan

Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.; In a remarkably short period of time, the realization of religious freedom has achieved broad consensus as an indispensable condition for peace. Faced with widespread reports of religious persecution, public and private actors around the world have responded with laws and policies designed to promote freedom of religion. But what precisely is being promoted? What are the cultural and epistemological assumptions underlying this response, and what forms of politics are enabled in the process? The fruits of the three-year Politics of Religious Freedom research project, the contributions to this volume unsettle the assumption, ubiquitous in policy circles, that religious freedom is a singular achievement, an easily understood state of affairs, and that the problem lies in its incomplete accomplishment. Brief Description: The concept of religious freedom has, in a relatively short time, achieved a remarkably broad consensus that considers it absolutely necessary to the establishment of a peaceful and productive world. In "The Politics of Religious Freedom, "editors Sullivan, Hurd, Danchin, and Mahmood marshal more than two dozen distinguished contributors to contest this narrative. The editors and contributors do not take a position for or against religious freedom as such. Instead, they argue that the indiscriminate promotion of a singular legal and cultural tool meant to address difference, discrimination, and conflict across a wide variety of societies and cultures has the perverse effect of foreclosing possibilities. Taking a genuinely global perspective, these essays unsettle the comfortable agreement that religious freedom is a singular achievement, an easily understood state of affairs, and that the problem lies in its incomplete realization. Instead, they seek to understand the different conceptions of religious freedom at play in the world today. "The Politics of Religious Freedom "represents an effort to craft a new view of law and of religion that is appropriately modest and respectful of the gaps in our knowledge of the world; an understanding of law and religion that understands both concepts to be not singular but very strongly plural."Review Quotes: "This extraordinary volume brings together the leading scholars of the idea and practice of 'religious freedom' today, in conversation with each other and with their critics. Beyond any simple for/against dichotomy, the contributors show how the admirable resonance of 'religious freedom' masks a more troubling reality, both at the historical origins of the concept and in its contemporary strategic deployments. Among the book s many contributions is its sustained and careful examination of the mutual entanglement of 'religion, ' in its modern semantic range, and law, and the implication of both in national and global politics, from early modernity forward. "The Politics of Religious Freedom "is a definitive collection of the best critical work on the subject."--Robert Orsi, Northwestern University"Biographical Note: Winnifred Fallers Sullivan is professor in and chair of the Department of Religious Studies at Indiana University Bloomington. She is also an affiliated professor of law at Indiana University Bloomington Maurer School of Law.""Elizabeth Shakman Hurd is associate professor in the Departments of Political Science and (by courtesy) Religious Studies at Northwestern University. Saba Mahmood is associate professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley. Peter G. Danchin is professor of law and director of the International and Comparative Law Program at the University of Maryland School of Law. Review Quotes: "This rich collection brings together scholars from different fields to dispel simplistic ideas about religious freedom. Through numerous case studies exploring complex and changeable meanings of the term in different parts of the world, the authors show that religious freedom is not the universal standard of democracy its proponents intend for it to be. At the same time, the contributors reach beyond their main topic to demonstrate the importance, and even necessity, of interdisciplinary work. Thus in dispelling simplistic ideas about a supposedly universal norm, this fine book announces a new era of academic collaboration."--Amanda Porterfield, Florida State University, author of Conceived in DoubtReview Quotes: "The principle of religious freedom, central to the liberal politics of the modern world, is increasingly becoming an object of critical reflection. This collection, edited by four distinguished scholars, is a welcome contribution to this important topic. I have learnt something from each of these thoughtful essays. Everyone interested in recent debates on secularism will benefit from reading them."--Talal Asad, Graduate Center, City University of New YorkPublisher Marketing: In a remarkably short period of time, the realization of religious freedom has achieved broad consensus as an indispensable condition for peace. Faced with widespread reports of religious persecution, public and private actors around the world have responded with laws and policies designed to promote freedom of religion. But what precisely is being promoted? What are the cultural and epistemological assumptions underlying this response, and what forms of politics are enabled in the process? The fruits of the three-year Politics of Religious Freedom research project, the contributions to this volume unsettle the assumptionubiquitous in policy circlesthat religious freedom is a singular achievement, an easily understood state of affairs, and that the problem lies in its incomplete accomplishment. Taking a global perspective, the more than two dozen contributors delineate the different conceptions of religious freedom predominant in the world today, as well as their histories and social and political contexts. Together, the contributions make clear that the reasons for persecution are more varied and complex than is widely acknowledged, and that the indiscriminate promotion of a single legal and cultural tool meant to address conflict across a wide variety of cultures can have the perverse effect of exacerbating the problems that plague the communities cited as falling short."

Contributor Bio:  Sullivan, Winnifred Fallers Winnifred Fallers Sullivan is professor in and chair of the Department of Religious Studies at Indiana University Bloomington. She is also an affiliated professor of law at Indiana University Bloomington Maurer School of Law"."Contributor Bio:  Hurd, Elizabeth Shakman Elizabeth Shakman Hurd is associate professor in the Departments of Political Science and (by courtesy) Religious Studies at Northwestern University. Contributor Bio:  Mahmood, Saba Saba Mahmood is professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley. Contributor Bio:  Danchin, Peter G Peter G. Danchin is professor of law and director of the International and Comparative Law Program at the University of Maryland School of Law.