Religious Nationalism

Overall, this work is recommended for most reference collections, particularly for its case studies and supplemental references. * Booklist * A valuable supplement to college courses in the humanities and social sciences examining the concept of religious nationalism. * ARBA *

Atalia Omer, PhD, is assistant professor of religion, conflict, and peace studies at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, IN. She earned her doctorate from the Committee on the Study of Religion at Harvard University. Jason A. Springs is assistant professor of religion, ethics, and peace studies at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame, IN, where he also holds an appointment as faculty fellow in the Center for the Study of Religion and Society.

Preface 1 What Is "Religious" about "Religious Nationalism"? Defining Nationalism Misconceptions about Religious Nationalism Challenging the Religion versus Secularism Model Juergensmeyer: Supporting the Religious versus Secular Model Hibbard: Challenging the Religious versus Secular Divide Religious Aspects of Religious Nationalism? Case Study: Northern Ireland and the Troubles Holy Places and Holy Times in Religious Nationalism Case Study: Northern Ireland and the Troubles Case Study: Israel and Zionism Ritual Practices in Religious Nationalism Case Study: Marching Season (Northern Ireland) Case Study: Ariel Sharon at the Dome of the Rock (Israel/Palestine) Ethnoreligious Nationalism Case Study: Jewish Elements of Zionism Case Study: Serbian Nationalism in Yugoslavia Case Study: Kosovo and the "Serbian Jerusalem," Religion and the Emergence of Premodern Nationalisms Case Study: The Spanish Inquisition Case Study: France Challenging the Modern Secular Nationalism Model Political Elites and the Shaping of Identity Case Study: Egypt Language, Literature, Texts, and Claims of Authenticity Case Study: Hindutva and India Case Study: Sri Lanka Nationalism: A Replacement for Religion? References 2 Nationalism: A Religion? Introduction Constructing and Conceiving Nationalism Nations as Imagined Communities Civil Religion as a Form of Nationalism Markers of Civil Religion: Rituals, Myths, and Symbols Self-Conception of Civil Religion: Origins, Identity, and Values The Sacred Canopy: Unifying Society around Civil Religion Civil Religion: Debunking the Myth of Religion as Antimodern A False Dichotomy: Ethnic Nationalism versus Civic Nationalism Discourse Analysis of Orientalism Religion and ModernityCompatible, Not Contradictory The Challenge of Reductionism for Understanding Nationalism Essentialist Approaches Materialist Approaches The Myth of Religious Violence A Society Worshipping Itself? Modernist Misconceptions of Religious Nationalism Types and Forms Assumptions and Misconceptions Religion as a Force for Change The Protestant Ethic The Protestant Reformation and the Sovereign Nation-State Religion in the Public Sphere Exposing the Discourses of Secularism Laicism Discourse Judeo-Christian Discourse Secular-Orientalist Discourse Conclusion References 3 Reimagining Religion and Nation: The Cases of Israel and the United States Introduction Not a Sleeping Beauty: Anti-Semitism and the Negation of Exile Colonialism Orientalism Arab Jews and Mizrahim: Challenges to Monolithic National Identity Shas The "Gush," A "New Israel": Puritan and Enlightenment Roots of Religious Nationalism in the United States Separation of Church and State The Nation, the Land, and Manifest Destiny "God's Almost Chosen People": Civil Religion, Nationalism, and the Civil War The Tradition of American Jeremiad The Cold War: A Judeo-Christian Nation versus a Godless Society The Ignoble Paradox of American Democracy: Race, Nation, and Religion Religious Nationalism and the Emergence of the Religious Right "One Nation under Vishnu": Pledging Allegiance to God and Country Religious Diversity and National Identity in the Post-9/11 World Islamophobia and the Ground Zero Mosque in American National Imagination Conclusion References 4 Chronologies Religious Nationalism and Conflict Zones Sri Lanka Northern Ireland Israel/Palestine The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt 5 Biographical Sketches Sri Lanka Israel/Palestine Israel Northern Ireland Nationalism in Islamic Contexts and Debates 6 Data and Documents Nationalism as Civil Religion: The Case of the United States An American Civil Religion: Central Motifs and Moments of Contestation Official Speeches Religion and the Authorization of Force and Empire Contesting the Meanings of American National Identity Religion and Exclusionary Interpretations of American National Identity Religious Nationalism: Examples from around the World Hindu Nationalism