Religion and Nationalism in Global Perspective

It is difficult to imagine forces in the modern world as potent as nationalism and religion. Both provide people with a source of meaning, each has motivated individuals to carry out extraordinary acts of heroism and cruelty, and both serve as the foundation for communal and personal identity. While the subject has received both scholarly and popular attention, this distinctive book is the first comparative study to examine the origins and development of three distinct models: religious nationalism, secular nationalism, and civil-religious nationalism. Using multiple methods, the authors develop a new theoretical framework that can be applied across diverse countries and religious traditions to understand the emergence, development, and stability of different church-state arrangements over time. The work combines public opinion, constitutional, and content analysis of the United States, Israel, India, Greece, Uruguay, and Malaysia, weaving together historical and contemporary illustrations.


About the Author
Soper, J. Christopher: - J. Christopher Soper is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Pepperdine University, Malibu. He received his Ph.D. from Yale University, Connecticut and his M.Div. from Yale Divinity School.Fetzer, Joel S.: - Joel S. Fetzer is Frank R. Seaver Professor of Social Science and Professor of Political Science at Pepperdine University, Malibu. A graduate of Cornell University and Yale University, he specializes in religion and politics and in migration studies.