Religion and Politics: European and Global Perspectives

This book shows religion and politics to be a key connecting link between European and global affairs. Debates on religion and politics have often focused on contrasts between Europe and other parts of the world, because modernity and secularism seem to go together in Europe. But if European modernity represents an exit from religion, this historical process and its implications have not yet been fully understood. This volume discusses both the growing Islamic presence in Europe – a reminder that religious pluralism still remains – and Christian-motivated extremism and religious nationalism. Against this background, the contributors combine theoretical and empirical research to explore the role of religion in non-European countries including China, Japan, Russia and the MENA region.