After Secularism: Rethinking Religion in Global Politics

Recent critiques have challenged the dominance of secularism in International Relations and public policy discourses - but what comes next? Having destabilized prominent assumptions about the nature of religion, it becomes vital to develop new ways of thinking about this ever-present phenomenon in global politics. Erin Wilson outlines a new approach to understanding religion in the West and globally and shows how secularism has limited our perceptions of religion's relationship with politics and the nature of religion itself. Combining insights from theology with reflectivist International Relations theories and methods, she draws out religious themes, narratives, images and rhetoric that are implicit in the collective subconscious of the West - ideas that have become so culturally embedded that they are seen as 'normal' and 'natural' - and examines how these assumptions impact on everyday political discourse and policy justification in the USA.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Subordinating Religion: The Logic of Secularism in International Relations Theory Essentializing Religion: Institutional, Individual and Irrational After Secularism: Relational Dialogism as an Alternative Articulating Religion: Religion, Discourse and Identity in US Politics Revealing Religion: An Alternative Account of Religion and Politics Conclusion

About the Author :
ERIN K. WILSON is the director of the Centre for Religion, Conflict and the Public Domain in the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Groningen. She recently completed four years as Research Fellow in the School of Global Studies, Social Science and Planning at RMIT University, Australia. She received her PhD from the University of Queensland, Australia in 2008. Dr Wilson's research focuses on religion and its intersection with various dimensions of political theory and practice, in particular global justice, migration, humanitarianism and globalization.

Review :
'Erin Wilson presents a powerful view that Western secularism has defined religion to suit its own terms, and that these are profoundly unhelpful ones to use in conceptualizing today's global conflicts. Moreover she explains the persistence of religious imagery and practice even in Western countries where church and state are 'separate'. Strikingly she shows that some things, such as human rights, can be both secular and religious in the same political culture. This is an important and profoundly critical book that rethinks the whole question of religion and politics.' - Terrell Carver, Professor of Political Theory, University of Bristol, UK 'Erin Wilson's book moves the secularism/religion debate beyond the recognition of secularism's political project to attack centrally the multiple dualisms that prevent a holistic understanding of religion, even in the West. This book provides important reading for all students of religion, secularism, and international relations.' - Cecelia Lynch, Professor, Political Science, University of California Irvine, USA 'The idea of righteousness, of being chosen, blessed and, above all, destined to triumph because righteous is something fearsome. We fear the 'fundamental' Islamic version of it. We think of bombers and terror. What Erin Wilson, in her masterly work, indicates to us is how deeply engrained such holy righteousness is in the American political psyche at the highest level, on the most momentous occasions. This is a meticulous deconstruction and interrogation of key American speeches and addresses. It is wonderfully written and constitutes a highly important book. It can only encourage us to be self-reflective.' - Stephen Chan, OBE, Professor of International Relations, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, UK