RELIGION, CONFLICT, AND GLOBAL SOCIETY: A Festschrift Celebrating Mark Juergensmeyer

Description

This book celebrates the outstanding lifetime achievement of Mark Juergensmeyer and his contributions to the study of religious violence, peace and conflict, and global studies. It throws light on scholarly debates where Juergensmeyer has contributed major insights and pushed important conversations forwards. With essays written by 22 leading scholars from various disciplines and across different regions, the book testifies to the breadth of his reach and achievements. It also shows ways in which concepts developed by Juergensmeyer and his approach to the study of religious dimensions of armed conflict, terrorism and civil society have had a lasting impact on a wide set of scholarly discussions within sociology, theology, political science, international relations, peace and conflict studies, as well as in Sikh and South Asia studies. Aside from being a celebration on the occasion of Juergensmeyer’s retirement, this book offers an easily accessible overview of scholarly approaches for students and academics interested in contemporary debates on religious violence, and conflict in a global world.

Mona Kanwal Sheikh is senior researcher and head of global security and worldviews at the Danish Institute for International Studies. Her current research focuses on transnationalization and containment patterns of contemporary jihadi movements. Some of her recent publications include Entering Religious Minds: The Social Study of Worldviews (2019), Expanding Jihad (2017), and Guardians of God: Inside the Religious Mind of the Pakistani Taliban (2016). Among her theoretical contributions to the debate on religious violence are How Does Religion Matter? Pathways to Religion in International Relations (2012), A Sociotheological Approach to Understanding Religious Violence (2013), and The Religious Challenge to Securitisation Theory (2014).

Isak Svensson is Professor at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University. Professor Svensson has contributed to the fields of nonviolent conflict, international mediation and religion and conflict. His publications, among others, include, Ending Holy Wars: Religion and Conflict Resolution in Civil Wars (2012). Together with Ron E. Hassner, he has edited the four-volume International Relations and Religion (2016), and co-authored the book Confronting the Caliphate: Civil Resistance Against Jihadists (forthcoming). Svensson is leading the international research project Resolving Jihadist Conflicts? Religion, Civil Wars and Prospects for Peace.