Secularism, Religion, and Democracy in Southeast Asia
Vidhu Verma and Aakash Singh Rathore
Abstract
The return of religion is most paradoxical, as in many parts of the world that take pride in their modernity and economic success, religion is emerging as the strongest reason in national politics. In addition, it is increasingly acknowledged that organized religion is not disappearing or fading but might even be gaining new forms of assertions. However many Western governments are unable to recognise a language that formulates both spaces, the secular and religious, to build our modern identities. The essays proposed for this volume analyse this post-secular turn as it has evolved in the past ... More
The return of religion is most paradoxical, as in many parts of the world that take pride in their modernity and economic success, religion is emerging as the strongest reason in national politics. In addition, it is increasingly acknowledged that organized religion is not disappearing or fading but might even be gaining new forms of assertions. However many Western governments are unable to recognise a language that formulates both spaces, the secular and religious, to build our modern identities. The essays proposed for this volume analyse this post-secular turn as it has evolved in the past two decades. The collection also tries to situate the discourses within the larger intellectual environment shaped by anxieties about religion. This proposed volume is also a serious attempt to explore how the democratic traditions in Southeast Asia have transformed religious beliefs and practices along with the vocabulary of rule and obligation. The contributors question the relationship between modern forms of power and its citizens and the way religion, human rights, and secularism are framed. The chapters challenge the claim that religious traditions are either making nonsensical claims or have dangerous consequences when they enter the public realm. The result, we hope, will be invaluable for experts in this region wanting a broad picture of the debates on secularism and democracy in Southeast Asia.
Keywords:
secularism,
religion,
democracy,
culture,
Islam,
Buddhism,
modernity,
politics,
state,
traditions,
practices,
beliefs
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2020 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780199496693 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: May 2020 |
DOI:10.1093/oso/9780199496693.001.0001 |
Authors
Affiliations are at time of print publication.
Vidhu Verma, editor
Professor, Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University
Aakash Singh Rathore, series editor
Professor and International Fellow, Centre for Ethics and Global Politics-LUISS, Rome
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