Imagining Communities: National Religions and Political Rituals
RELI 299
Fall 2014
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
REES 299 |
| Certificates: Social, Cultural, and Critical Theory |
From the Catholic-Protestant troubles in Northern Ireland, Christian nationalism in Serbia, Hindu-Buddhist conflict in Sri Lanka, and the Taliban in Afghanistan, religious nationalism often produces virulent and violent conflict. Yet the virgin of Guadeloupe is a national symbol of Mexico, Catholicism was central to the Polish Solidarity movement, and America defines itself as "one Nation under God." How are we to understand the relationship between religion and national identity, and how do political rituals, both religious and secular, help form communities? Popular media and political science analysis define religious nationalism as dangerous, and secular nationalism as good. We will investigate this claim over the course of the semester, by asking what the study of religion and ritual can bring to the topic. Are religious and secular political rituals really as different as they seem? We will read and discuss the classic social theories of Samuel Huntington, Benedict Anderson, Emile Durkheim, Victor Turner, Clifford Geertz and Talal Asad, and these readings will be interspersed with case studies that illustrate how these theories help us understand the world. Case studies include the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the recent arrest and trial of the punk band Pussy Riot in Russia, and the Yasukuni shrine in Japan, where the souls of kamikaze pilots and WWII war criminals are enshrined. In addition, students will pick a case study of their own for a research project. This project will be conducted through multiple small assignments over the course of the semester that will be combined into a final research paper and class presentation. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS RELI |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (CSCT)(HRAD-MN)(REES-MN)(REES-Social Sci)(RELI-MN)(RELI)(STS) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Anderson, Benedict, IMAGINED COMMUNITIES
Durkheim, Emile, THE ELEMENTARY FORMS OF THE RELIGIOUS LIFE
Geertz, Clifford, RELIGION AS A CULTURAL SYSTEM
Breen, John, YASUKUNI, THE WAR DEAD AND THE STRUGGLE FOR JAPAN'S PAST
Verdery, Katherine, THE POLITICAL LIVES OF DEAD BODIES
Sells, Michael, THE BRIDGE BETRAYED
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Examinations and Assignments:
This is a discussion-based and writing intensive class, where students apply the theories and case studies to a research topic of their own choosing. Students will be required to write regular one or two page critical responses to readings and conduct a semester-long research project on the national religion, political ritual or religious conflict of their choice. This project will be divided up into short assignments over the course of the semester that build into a 15-20 page research paper by the end of the semester. This is a writing intensive class which, through this semester project, teaches the building blocks of original and independent research. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This course fulfills the "Method & Theory" OR "Thematic Approach" requirement for the Religion Department major. |
| Instructor(s): Quijada,Justine Times: ..T.R.. 09:00AM-10:20AM; Location: ALLB304; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 19 | | SR major: 0 | JR major: 0 | | |
| Seats Available: 1 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 2 | JR non-major: 2 | SO: 4 | FR: 11 |
| Web Resources: Syllabus |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 1 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 1 |
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