Religion and Global Politics Since 1990
RELI 237
Spring 2027
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
HIST 222 |
This course seeks to offer an alternative explanation for the crisis of liberal democracy today by looking at the relationship between religion and politics since the 1990s. The end of the Cold War witnessed a turn to religion traditionalism throughout the eastern bloc countries that was deepened by economic instability wrought by economic globalization. This turn to religion in Russia has been integral to the Eurasian traditionalism of Vladimar Putin. Globalization and its discontents would lead to a series of sectarian reactions throughout South Asia, Western Asia, and the Middle East, which would pave the way for Erdogan's Justice and Development Party and Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party; similar developments occurred in Egypt, Pakistan, Israel, and Algeria. The turn to political religion was further galvanized by the US War on Terror, and in Western Europe by xenophobic reactions to Islamic immigration as demonstrated by scores of debates on the role of religion in society. The course will show that what made the authoritarian turn under Trump in the US unique is how delayed its reception was there. Wealth and power insulated the US from the religious-infused authoritarian turns of these and other places, but only temporarily. The same neoliberal global order that produced Trump also produced Modi, Erdogan, and Putin, and the religious traditionalism in which they based their moral legitimacy. This course, however, will take seriously the religious and theological components of today's authoritarian moment rather than regulating them to mere emotive reactions to economic globalization. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
SBS RELI |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (Religion Minor)(Religion) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Jean Baudrillard, THE ILLUSION OF THE END, 1992
Pankaj Mishra, AGE OF ANGER, 2017
Mahmood Mamdani, GOOD MUSLIM, BAD MUSLIM
Melinda Cooper, FAMILY VALUES, 2017
Jeffrey Stout, DEMOCRACY AND TRADITION
Joan Scott, THE POLITICS OF THE WEIL, 2007
Saba Mahmood, RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCE IN A SECULAR AGE, 2015.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Two 7 page papers; weekly reading responses |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This course counts as an "additional course" for the Religion major/minor |
| Instructor(s): Steinmetz-Jenkins,Daniel Times: .M.W... 10:50AM-12:10PM; Location: TBA |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 15 | | SR major: 2 | JR major: 2 | | |
| Seats Available: 15 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 2 | JR non-major: 2 | SO: 4 | FR: 3 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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