Religion and Authoritarianism: Cooperation, Conflict, and the Consequences (Cambridge Studies in Social Theory, Religion and Politics)
Cambridge University Press, 2/28/2014
EAN 9781107037069, ISBN10: 1107037069
Hardcover, 242 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 1.4 cm
Language: English
This book provides a rare window into the micropolitics of contemporary authoritarian rule through a comparison of religious-state relations in Russia and China - two countries with long histories of religious repression, and even longer experiences with authoritarian politics. Drawing on extensive fieldwork in multiple sites in these countries, this book explores what religious and political authority want from one another, how they negotiate the terms of their relationship, and how cooperative or conflicting their interactions are. This comparison reveals that while tensions exist between the two sides, there is also ample room for mutually beneficial interaction. Religious communities and their authoritarian overseers are cooperating around the core issue of politics - namely, the struggle for money, power and prestige - and becoming unexpected allies in the process.
1. Introduction
the politics of religion
2. Religion and state games
3. Regulating the religious marketplace
4. The political economy of religious revival
5. The politics of faith, power, and prestige
6. Conclusion
cooperation, conflict, and the consequences.