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.
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.
Reviews
"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 Doubt"
"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 geopolitical 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
