The Varieties of Religious Repression: Why Governments Restrict Religion
Ani Sarkissian
Abstract
Religious repression-defined as the nonviolent suppression of civil and political rights-is a growing global phenomenon, but one that has not received as much attention as violent religious persecution. Though it is most often practiced in dictatorships, levels of religious repression nevertheless vary across a range of nondemocratic regimes, including illiberal democracies and competitive authoritarian states. This book argues that seemingly benign and legal forms of regulations, requirements, and restrictions on religion are important tools by which nondemocratic leaders repress independent ... More
Religious repression-defined as the nonviolent suppression of civil and political rights-is a growing global phenomenon, but one that has not received as much attention as violent religious persecution. Though it is most often practiced in dictatorships, levels of religious repression nevertheless vary across a range of nondemocratic regimes, including illiberal democracies and competitive authoritarian states. This book argues that seemingly benign and legal forms of regulations, requirements, and restrictions on religion are important tools by which nondemocratic leaders repress independent civic activity and thus maintain their hold on power. Examining the interaction of levels of political competition and the structure of religious divisions in society, this book presents a theory of why religious repression varies across nondemocratic regimes and how political leaders decide which groups to target with it. It thus offers a new way of understanding the commonalities and differences of nondemocratic regimes by focusing on the targets of repression. Drawing on both quantitative data from 101 authoritarian states from 1990 to 2010 and case studies of 16 countries from around the world, this book explores the varieties of repression states impose on religious expression, association, and political activities and describes the obstacles these present for democratization, pluralism, and the development of an independent civil society.
Keywords:
religious repression,
authoritarianism,
civil society,
pluralism,
civil rights,
human rights
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2015 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780199348084 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: December 2014 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199348084.001.0001 |
