This comparative analysis probes why conservative renderings of religious tradition in the United States; India; and Egypt remain so influential in the politics of these three ostensibly secular societies. The United States; Egypt; and India were quintessential models of secular modernity in the 1950s and 1960s. By the 1980s and 1990s; conservative Islamists challenged the Egyptian government; India witnessed a surge in Hindu nationalism; and the Christian right in the United States rose to dominate the Republican Party and large swaths of the public discourse. Using a nuanced theoretical framework that emphasizes the interaction of religion and politics; Scott W. Hibbard argues that three interrelated issues led to this state of affairs. First; as an essential part of the construction of collective identities; religion serves as a basis for social solidarity and political mobilization. Second; in providing a moral framework; religion's traditional elements make it relevant to modern political life. Third; and most significant; in manipulating religion for political gain; political elites undermined the secular consensus of the modern state that had been in place since the end of World War II. Together; these factors sparked a new era of right-wing religious populism in the three nations.Although much has been written about the resurgence of religious politics; scholars have paid less attention to the role of state actors in promoting new visions of religion and society. Religious Politics and Secular States fills this gap by situating this trend within long-standing debates over the proper role of religion in public life.
#502792 in Books Valerie Plame Wilson 2008-06-10 2008-06-10Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.44 x 1.10 x 5.50l; .93 #File Name: 1416537627432 pagesFair Game How a Top CIA Agent Was Betrayed by Her Own Government
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. powerful storyBy borisGreat book; powerful story; suffers from the redacted stuff; including things that were public knowledge (this was the cia's fault). In fact; seeing the redacted lines is rather interesting because it makes the whole thing more like "living history" - we are watching how a nation (or at least its political establishment) comprehensively disgraced itself. Riveting; far better than the movie (which felt slightly hollow).1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Insight into a Clandestine WorldBy MaryThe amount of redacting alone indicates how clandestine the CIA continues to be; removing large sections of the manuscript written by the agent. At one point; it appeared that publication of her work would be denied by the Agency. Because the facts as they appear in the public record are woven into a third person account at the end of the book; the reader gets a fairly comprehensive picture of the agent's assignments and activities.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great book if you like flipping past pages of nothingBy GeoffGreat book if you like flipping past pages of nothing. Practically half of the book; and I don't think I'm exaggerating too much; is redacted. What's the point?
