Politics of Religious Freedom - by Winnifred Fallers Sullivan Hardcover

About the Book

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."

Book Synopsis

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. 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.

Review Quotes

"Hurd argues that the pursuit of freedom of religion as a policy goal has worked to produce, reaffirm, and/or reify various forms of difference, both between Euro-American nations and the recipients of their cultural imperialism, and between legally specified religious (and non-religious) 'communities' throughout the world. . . . this edited volume brings together anthropologists, historians, lawyers, political scientists, and scholars of religion to discuss (and 'unsettle') the assumption 'that religious freedom is easily recognized and understood, and that the only problem lies in its incomplete realization'. The collection is divided into four parts, each of which is prefaced by one of the four editors . . . These introductions usefully contextualize the thematic links between the essays in each section, each of which contains an example of the 'crazy quilt of local solutions' by which conflicts over religion are managed."-- "Religious Studies Review"

"Taken individually, these essays are erudite, consistently interesting, and well written. Taken collectively, they are a tour de force for deepening our knowledge and understanding of a concept many or most of us have simply taken for granted in our intellectual lives."--Daniel Liechty, Illinois State University "Religion"

"The contributors repeatedly make the point [that], rather than a single, stable principle of universal application, religious freedom is polyvalent and reflects the historical conditions of its composition. . . . Highly recommended."
-- "Choice" (12/28/2015 12:00:00 AM)

"A book which is deeply satisfying both for quality of writing and for quality of scholarship, one which I look forward to using extensively in my work and in the construction of syllabi."--Jessica L. Radin, University of Toronto "Middle East Law and Governance" (8/22/2016 12:00:00 AM)

"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 York

"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

About the Author

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.