James Piscatori
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263518
- eISBN:
- 9780191734021
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263518.003.0015
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
This lecture gives an overview of religious activism and political utopias. It begins by detailing the emergence of a political symbol, pan-Islam. The second section focuses on how Muslim politics ...
More
This lecture gives an overview of religious activism and political utopias. It begins by detailing the emergence of a political symbol, pan-Islam. The second section focuses on how Muslim politics today is partly pre-occupied with contestation over this symbol. Pan-Islam emerged as an idea and a symbol that is conditioned by modern contexts. It is also seen to be shamelessly used and manipulated, but is still able to exercise a pull on the modern Muslim imagination.Less
This lecture gives an overview of religious activism and political utopias. It begins by detailing the emergence of a political symbol, pan-Islam. The second section focuses on how Muslim politics today is partly pre-occupied with contestation over this symbol. Pan-Islam emerged as an idea and a symbol that is conditioned by modern contexts. It is also seen to be shamelessly used and manipulated, but is still able to exercise a pull on the modern Muslim imagination.
Helene Slessarev-Jamir
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814741238
- eISBN:
- 9780814708705
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814741238.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
While the links between conservative Christians and politics have been drawn strongly in recent years, coming to embody what many think of as religious activism, the profoundly religious nature of ...
More
While the links between conservative Christians and politics have been drawn strongly in recent years, coming to embody what many think of as religious activism, the profoundly religious nature of community organizing and other more left-leaning justice work has been largely overlooked. This is the first broad comparative examination of progressive religious activism in the United States. Set up as a counter-narrative to religious conservatism, the book offers readers a deeper understanding of the richness and diversity of contemporary religious activism. It offers five case studies of major progressive religious justice movements that have their roots in liberative interpretations of Scripture: congregational community organizing; worker justice; rights work; peace-making and reconciliation; and global anti-poverty and debt relief. Drawing on intensive interviews with activists at all levels of this work, the book uncovers the ways in which they construct an ethical framework for their work. In addition to looking at predominantly Christian organizations, the book also highlights the growth of progressive activism among Jews, Muslims, and Buddhists who are engaged in reinterpreting their religious texts to support new forms of activism.Less
While the links between conservative Christians and politics have been drawn strongly in recent years, coming to embody what many think of as religious activism, the profoundly religious nature of community organizing and other more left-leaning justice work has been largely overlooked. This is the first broad comparative examination of progressive religious activism in the United States. Set up as a counter-narrative to religious conservatism, the book offers readers a deeper understanding of the richness and diversity of contemporary religious activism. It offers five case studies of major progressive religious justice movements that have their roots in liberative interpretations of Scripture: congregational community organizing; worker justice; rights work; peace-making and reconciliation; and global anti-poverty and debt relief. Drawing on intensive interviews with activists at all levels of this work, the book uncovers the ways in which they construct an ethical framework for their work. In addition to looking at predominantly Christian organizations, the book also highlights the growth of progressive activism among Jews, Muslims, and Buddhists who are engaged in reinterpreting their religious texts to support new forms of activism.
Helene Slessarev-Jamir
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814741238
- eISBN:
- 9780814708705
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814741238.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This concluding chapter assesses the overall significance of religious activism in bringing renewal to communities, creating new citizenship rights, and ultimately confronting American empire. While ...
More
This concluding chapter assesses the overall significance of religious activism in bringing renewal to communities, creating new citizenship rights, and ultimately confronting American empire. While activism occurring in both borderlands and cosmopolitan social locations seeks to lessen the impact of the most negative consequences of globalization and empire, the case studies in this book also reveal clear distinctions in the actual character of religious activism in the two settings. Indeed, it is apparent that religious activism frequently serves as a bridge between the two. Moreover, the use of multiple case studies situated in distinct social locations provides a fuller picture of contemporary religious activism's capacity to also engage marginalized people in organizing. Both congregational-based community organizing and worker-justice activism demonstrate religious activism's ability to empower marginalized people to construct new forms of citizenship from the bottom up.Less
This concluding chapter assesses the overall significance of religious activism in bringing renewal to communities, creating new citizenship rights, and ultimately confronting American empire. While activism occurring in both borderlands and cosmopolitan social locations seeks to lessen the impact of the most negative consequences of globalization and empire, the case studies in this book also reveal clear distinctions in the actual character of religious activism in the two settings. Indeed, it is apparent that religious activism frequently serves as a bridge between the two. Moreover, the use of multiple case studies situated in distinct social locations provides a fuller picture of contemporary religious activism's capacity to also engage marginalized people in organizing. Both congregational-based community organizing and worker-justice activism demonstrate religious activism's ability to empower marginalized people to construct new forms of citizenship from the bottom up.
Sherine Hafez
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814773031
- eISBN:
- 9780814790724
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814773031.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
This chapter provides an overview of the book's main themes. This book describes the geographies of desire that underlie subject formation in women's Islamic activism in Egypt. It attempts to further ...
More
This chapter provides an overview of the book's main themes. This book describes the geographies of desire that underlie subject formation in women's Islamic activism in Egypt. It attempts to further the discussion of the mutuality of religion and secularism in the modern Middle East by foregrounding the heterogeneity of desire in the analysis of subjecthood. It asks the following questions: What are the processes that shape, shift, incite, and produce the desires and subjectivities of women in Islamic movements? How do women activists articulate their desires, and how do these desires mirror the complexity of negotiation, inculcation, and inconsistent appropriation and individual experience? It is argued that the desires of women activists in Islamic movements in Egypt today cannot be fully grasped through a focus on unitary ethical subjects based only on religious practice. Instead, subjecthood is varied, heterogeneous, and unstable.Less
This chapter provides an overview of the book's main themes. This book describes the geographies of desire that underlie subject formation in women's Islamic activism in Egypt. It attempts to further the discussion of the mutuality of religion and secularism in the modern Middle East by foregrounding the heterogeneity of desire in the analysis of subjecthood. It asks the following questions: What are the processes that shape, shift, incite, and produce the desires and subjectivities of women in Islamic movements? How do women activists articulate their desires, and how do these desires mirror the complexity of negotiation, inculcation, and inconsistent appropriation and individual experience? It is argued that the desires of women activists in Islamic movements in Egypt today cannot be fully grasped through a focus on unitary ethical subjects based only on religious practice. Instead, subjecthood is varied, heterogeneous, and unstable.
Helene Slessarev-Jamir
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814741238
- eISBN:
- 9780814708705
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814741238.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter marks the shift toward cosmopolitan religious activism by looking at various forms of religious peacemaking. These include traditional pacifist support for conscientious objectors, ...
More
This chapter marks the shift toward cosmopolitan religious activism by looking at various forms of religious peacemaking. These include traditional pacifist support for conscientious objectors, solidarity work, and human rights work. Less concerned with empowering individuals to act, peace-making activism focuses on the intricacies of the issues, making heavy use of email to reach its supporters. Most organizations also engage in various types of mass actions, including civil disobedience, yet there are a few whose outreach is entirely done online. The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), which is the oldest U.S. religious pacifist organization, has over the decades been joined by a diverse array of other religious peace-making groups. These include Catholic, Jewish, Buddhist, and Muslim peace organizations as well as a younger generation of evangelicals who are important new voices within a religious community marked by strong triumphalist tendencies.Less
This chapter marks the shift toward cosmopolitan religious activism by looking at various forms of religious peacemaking. These include traditional pacifist support for conscientious objectors, solidarity work, and human rights work. Less concerned with empowering individuals to act, peace-making activism focuses on the intricacies of the issues, making heavy use of email to reach its supporters. Most organizations also engage in various types of mass actions, including civil disobedience, yet there are a few whose outreach is entirely done online. The Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), which is the oldest U.S. religious pacifist organization, has over the decades been joined by a diverse array of other religious peace-making groups. These include Catholic, Jewish, Buddhist, and Muslim peace organizations as well as a younger generation of evangelicals who are important new voices within a religious community marked by strong triumphalist tendencies.
Helene Slessarev-Jamir
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814741238
- eISBN:
- 9780814708705
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814741238.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter presents a broader explanation of what the prophetic traditions within both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament have to say about various justice issues. Since there is a ...
More
This chapter presents a broader explanation of what the prophetic traditions within both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament have to say about various justice issues. Since there is a multiplicity of voices present in both the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, quotes from both continue to be used to justify hegemony, militarism, racial, ethnic, and gender exclusion. For example, God's willingness to slaughter the Canaanites is still used to justify savagery and genocide against present-day so-called enemies. Prophetic texts have also been appropriated as tools for the maintenance of dominance. In addition to the widespread use of prophetic texts, religious justice activists consistently employ certain common methodologies in their work. These include the use of various popular education models to empower people with a critical consciousness, and the use of civil disobedience within tactical repertoires.Less
This chapter presents a broader explanation of what the prophetic traditions within both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament have to say about various justice issues. Since there is a multiplicity of voices present in both the Hebrew Bible and New Testament, quotes from both continue to be used to justify hegemony, militarism, racial, ethnic, and gender exclusion. For example, God's willingness to slaughter the Canaanites is still used to justify savagery and genocide against present-day so-called enemies. Prophetic texts have also been appropriated as tools for the maintenance of dominance. In addition to the widespread use of prophetic texts, religious justice activists consistently employ certain common methodologies in their work. These include the use of various popular education models to empower people with a critical consciousness, and the use of civil disobedience within tactical repertoires.
Patrick Eisenlohr
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780520281226
- eISBN:
- 9780520961081
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520281226.003.0023
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Asian Cultural Anthropology
This chapter examines how urban aspirations that drive migration to the megacity are intertwined with religious media practices. More specifically, it shows how Shi'ite traditions in Mumbai ...
More
This chapter examines how urban aspirations that drive migration to the megacity are intertwined with religious media practices. More specifically, it shows how Shi'ite traditions in Mumbai articulate with urban aspirations that bring migrants to megacities in a globalized world. The chapter begins with an overview of religious activism in Indian megacities as it relates to recent reformulations of the nexus between religion and globalization. It then considers the aspirations of Twelver Shi'ites in Mumbai within the context of globalized urbanity. It also discusses the role of contemporary media technology in the link between urban socioeconomic aspirations and religious mobilizations. Finally, it analyzes the spread of major religious traditions that emphasize the theme of transcendence.Less
This chapter examines how urban aspirations that drive migration to the megacity are intertwined with religious media practices. More specifically, it shows how Shi'ite traditions in Mumbai articulate with urban aspirations that bring migrants to megacities in a globalized world. The chapter begins with an overview of religious activism in Indian megacities as it relates to recent reformulations of the nexus between religion and globalization. It then considers the aspirations of Twelver Shi'ites in Mumbai within the context of globalized urbanity. It also discusses the role of contemporary media technology in the link between urban socioeconomic aspirations and religious mobilizations. Finally, it analyzes the spread of major religious traditions that emphasize the theme of transcendence.
C. Melissa Snarr
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814741122
- eISBN:
- 9780814788592
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814741122.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter studies the emergence of the contemporary living wage movement in the United States. By conscious political choice, U.S. politicians decided to undermine the original intent of the ...
More
This chapter studies the emergence of the contemporary living wage movement in the United States. By conscious political choice, U.S. politicians decided to undermine the original intent of the minimum wage by refusing to raise it adequately over the last half-century. Despite increased worker productivity, the minimum wage remains far below what is necessary for a small family in this country. The increase in working poverty thus signals both the economic and political poverty of low-wage workers. Religious organizations join coalitions for a living wage precisely to counter these intertwined poverties. The reemergence of progressive religious activism and the rebirth of religion–labor–community coalitions for living wages have been mutually reinforcing. The chapter shows how religious activists seek to enhance the economic political agency of low-wage workers and put poverty back on the national agenda.Less
This chapter studies the emergence of the contemporary living wage movement in the United States. By conscious political choice, U.S. politicians decided to undermine the original intent of the minimum wage by refusing to raise it adequately over the last half-century. Despite increased worker productivity, the minimum wage remains far below what is necessary for a small family in this country. The increase in working poverty thus signals both the economic and political poverty of low-wage workers. Religious organizations join coalitions for a living wage precisely to counter these intertwined poverties. The reemergence of progressive religious activism and the rebirth of religion–labor–community coalitions for living wages have been mutually reinforcing. The chapter shows how religious activists seek to enhance the economic political agency of low-wage workers and put poverty back on the national agenda.
John Anderson
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- July 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780719077388
- eISBN:
- 9781781702000
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719077388.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Democratization
This book presents a synthesis of existing work and offers new insights into the engagement of Christian traditions with the democratic experiment, concentrating specifically on countries in the ...
More
This book presents a synthesis of existing work and offers new insights into the engagement of Christian traditions with the democratic experiment, concentrating specifically on countries in the process of transition to a democratic order or those that might be prospective candidates for democratisation in the future. There are some core defining features of ‘democracy’. Some Christian groups would raise questions about the necessary separation of Church and State. There will almost certainly be occasions when the teachings of the churches come into conflict with the political or societal consensus. The reasons for the changing Catholic attitude towards democracy lay in religious change that affected the ideas and actions of national hierarchies. The approaches in explaining religious activism are explored. The book can hopefully offer a resource for those interested in exploring and thinking more about the complex relationship between Christianity and democracy.Less
This book presents a synthesis of existing work and offers new insights into the engagement of Christian traditions with the democratic experiment, concentrating specifically on countries in the process of transition to a democratic order or those that might be prospective candidates for democratisation in the future. There are some core defining features of ‘democracy’. Some Christian groups would raise questions about the necessary separation of Church and State. There will almost certainly be occasions when the teachings of the churches come into conflict with the political or societal consensus. The reasons for the changing Catholic attitude towards democracy lay in religious change that affected the ideas and actions of national hierarchies. The approaches in explaining religious activism are explored. The book can hopefully offer a resource for those interested in exploring and thinking more about the complex relationship between Christianity and democracy.
Ana de San Bartolome
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- March 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780226143712
- eISBN:
- 9780226143736
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226143736.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Ana de San Bartolomé (1549–1626), a contemporary and close associate of St. Teresa of Àvila, typifies the curious blend of religious activism and spiritual forcefulness that characterized the first ...
More
Ana de San Bartolomé (1549–1626), a contemporary and close associate of St. Teresa of Àvila, typifies the curious blend of religious activism and spiritual forcefulness that characterized the first generation of Discalced, or reformed Carmelites. Known for their austerity and ethics, their convents quickly spread throughout Spain and, under Ana's guidance, also to France and the Low Countries. Constantly embroiled in disputes with her male superiors, Ana quickly became the most vocal and visible of these mystical women and the most fearless of the guardians of the Carmelite Constitution, especially after Teresa's death. Her autobiography, clearly inseparable from her religious vocation, expresses the tensions and conflicts that often accompanied the lives of women whose relationship to the divine endowed them with an authority at odds with the temporary powers of church and state. Last translated into English in 1916, Ana's writings give modern readers insights into the nature of monastic life during the highly charged religious and political climate of late-sixteenth- and early-seventeenth-century Spain.Less
Ana de San Bartolomé (1549–1626), a contemporary and close associate of St. Teresa of Àvila, typifies the curious blend of religious activism and spiritual forcefulness that characterized the first generation of Discalced, or reformed Carmelites. Known for their austerity and ethics, their convents quickly spread throughout Spain and, under Ana's guidance, also to France and the Low Countries. Constantly embroiled in disputes with her male superiors, Ana quickly became the most vocal and visible of these mystical women and the most fearless of the guardians of the Carmelite Constitution, especially after Teresa's death. Her autobiography, clearly inseparable from her religious vocation, expresses the tensions and conflicts that often accompanied the lives of women whose relationship to the divine endowed them with an authority at odds with the temporary powers of church and state. Last translated into English in 1916, Ana's writings give modern readers insights into the nature of monastic life during the highly charged religious and political climate of late-sixteenth- and early-seventeenth-century Spain.
C. Melissa Snarr
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814741122
- eISBN:
- 9780814788592
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814741122.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter examines how the moral framing of the living wage movement and its religiously resonant arguments on the moral nature of government and wages enable an alternative vision of the ...
More
This chapter examines how the moral framing of the living wage movement and its religiously resonant arguments on the moral nature of government and wages enable an alternative vision of the political economy. Religious activists not only define the injustice about working poverty, but also identify culpable actors (businesses and government), offer an action plan, and provide the motivation to move people to action. While drawing on long-standing religious traditions for their arguments, religious activists also include pragmatic economic appeals. The social equity strand of neoclassical economics encourages governments to focus their economic corrections on lower and middle classes for greater economic growth. While this establishment has great resonance with U.S. voters, activists must be careful not to embrace the neoliberal ideal of independence from government.Less
This chapter examines how the moral framing of the living wage movement and its religiously resonant arguments on the moral nature of government and wages enable an alternative vision of the political economy. Religious activists not only define the injustice about working poverty, but also identify culpable actors (businesses and government), offer an action plan, and provide the motivation to move people to action. While drawing on long-standing religious traditions for their arguments, religious activists also include pragmatic economic appeals. The social equity strand of neoclassical economics encourages governments to focus their economic corrections on lower and middle classes for greater economic growth. While this establishment has great resonance with U.S. voters, activists must be careful not to embrace the neoliberal ideal of independence from government.
Hadley Kruczek-Aaron
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780813061085
- eISBN:
- 9780813051369
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813061085.003.0004
- Subject:
- Archaeology, Historical Archaeology
Previous chapters flesh out the ideals that inspired believers from across the nation; this chapter shifts the focus to one believer, Gerrit Smith, and one community, Smithfield, New York, both known ...
More
Previous chapters flesh out the ideals that inspired believers from across the nation; this chapter shifts the focus to one believer, Gerrit Smith, and one community, Smithfield, New York, both known for their piety, to situate an understanding of the case study in lived religion that remains the centerpiece of this volume. It does so by documenting Gerrit Smith's path to conversion, contextualizing his religious activism in the context of a town in an area of New York known as the Burned-over District that he used as a laboratory for his religious ideals and by exploring his specific beliefs more fully.Less
Previous chapters flesh out the ideals that inspired believers from across the nation; this chapter shifts the focus to one believer, Gerrit Smith, and one community, Smithfield, New York, both known for their piety, to situate an understanding of the case study in lived religion that remains the centerpiece of this volume. It does so by documenting Gerrit Smith's path to conversion, contextualizing his religious activism in the context of a town in an area of New York known as the Burned-over District that he used as a laboratory for his religious ideals and by exploring his specific beliefs more fully.
