Religion & Statecraft
nº
Middle East Politics
dr nazanin shahrokni, fall 2024
Abdel Kader
Thank you Maryam Iftekharuddin
Cheb Khaled avec Faudel et Rachid Taha (1, 2, 3 soleil)
"it is a tribute to Emir Abdelkader, a 19th-century Algerian leader who fought against French colonization and is celebrated as a national hero."
Abdelkader (born Sept. 6, 1808, Guetna, near Mascara, Alg.—died May 26, 1883, Damascus, Syria) was the amīr of Mascara (from 1832), the military and religious leader who founded the Algerian state and led the Algerians in their 19th-century struggle against French domination (1840–46). https://www.britannica.com/biography/Abdelkader
Title 1
in the context ofInterstate System & the Global Economy
Religion & Statecraft
Statecraft refers to the art and practice of managing and governing a state or nation. It encompasses the strategies, tactics, and techniques used by political leaders and institutions to achieve national objectives, maintain power, manage internal and external affairs, and navigate complex political landscapes.
The interstate system refers to the network of relationships and interactions among sovereign states in the international arena. It encompasses the rules, norms, and structures that govern state behavior, including diplomatic relations, international organizations, and power dynamics.
Studying religion from a socio-political perspective involves examining how religious beliefs, practices, and institutions influence and are influenced by social and political structures. .
The global economy or global market logic refers to the interconnected system of economic activities, trade, and financial transactions that spans across national borders. It encompasses the flow of goods, services, capital, and labor between countries, driven by market forces, global supply chains, and international financial institutions.
Title 1
CONFLICT
CONTROL
Cooperation
Religious movements or institutions can act in opposition to state power, challenging its legitimacy or policies
The state co-opts or controls religious institutions to maintain power or legitimacy
States may cooperate with religious institutions to gain support, especially in times of crisis or during nation-building. Religious communities might cooperate with the state in exchange for power & protection
Modalities of State-Religion Relationships 3 C's
Title 1
LENDING Domestic Political Legitimacy
FACILITATING Geopolitical Reach & Influence
Religion as a tool of statecraft
Religion is often employed to consolidate state power, either by legitimizing its rule, institutions, and domestic initiatives, by providing a means to project influence and forge alliances internationally, or by supporting the state’s economic plans and endeavors.
Economic & Market LEgitimizer
Title 1
Tension Between Secular Regulation & Religious Authority
Tensions arise...
In secular contexts, religious practices such as halal certification are often regulated by the state, creating tension over who holds religious authority.
Internal Tensions Within Religious Establishments
State Induced Tenstions Within Religious Institutions
States often divide and manipulate religious institutions to suppress dissent, promoting certain clerics while sidelining others to serve political goals.
Religious institutions are not monolithic and often experience internal conflicts over autonomy and political influence.
The Secular-Religious Spectrum
Talal Asad argues that secularism is not simply the separation of religion and state but a specific way of structuring power, where the state regulates religious practices and defines their acceptable limits. Asad also notes that secular states may incorporate religious principles (like personal status laws), while Islamic states may adopt "secular" aspects like modern legal frameworks. The boundary between secular and Islamic states is not rigid. Both types of states use religion and secularism as tools of governance, and the way these labels function depends on local, historical, and political contexts.
Title 1
Secularism as RegulationNot Absence of Religion
Fluid Boundaries Between Secular & Religious States
Secularism & Religious States as Tools of Governance
Secularism as a Disciplinary Mechanism
Bureacratization of Religion
Globalization and state intervention have affected religious institutions, leading to their bureaucratization. The bureaucratization of religious practices and institutions shows the intertwining of religion with market and state dynamics. Many dynamics and developments, rather than signaling a return to tradition, are shaped by modern anxieties and addressed through bureaucracies. While movements such as religious revivalism, cultural nationalism, patriarchal family policies, or the reassertion of traditional governance may appear as returns to the past, they are often responses to contemporary challenges and framed within modern contexts.
Religious institutions, once seen as outside or resistant to modernity, are now deeply enmeshed in bureaucratic procedures, often (re)shaped by the state or market forces.
lecture @ a glance
Conflict
Collaboration
Control
STATEINSTITUTIONS
RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS
Local Level (elite competition + factionalism)
Global level (interstate system + global market)
Title 1
Iran
State Officials
In 1980, after a popular revolution, to Islamize the society, the state imposes Islamic dress code on its citizens
Consider the state’s overall project and ideology, while accounting for factionalism and elite competition
Turkey
Religious Leaders
In 1980, after a military coup, to enforce secularism, the state implemented a ban on veiled women entering public institutions.
Consider the resources they could mobilize to support or oppose the state, accounting for the diversity of religious communities.
Saudi Arabia
Citizens
As of recent reforms under Mohammed bin Salman, expatriate women are no longer required to wear an abaya or veil. Saudi women, however, are expected to adhere to veiling in public.
Consider the law's implications for citizens and their reactions.
Class Activity
Discuss & Share
Title 1
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Transcript
Religion & Statecraft
nº
Middle East Politics
dr nazanin shahrokni, fall 2024
Abdel Kader
Thank you Maryam Iftekharuddin
Cheb Khaled avec Faudel et Rachid Taha (1, 2, 3 soleil)
"it is a tribute to Emir Abdelkader, a 19th-century Algerian leader who fought against French colonization and is celebrated as a national hero."
Abdelkader (born Sept. 6, 1808, Guetna, near Mascara, Alg.—died May 26, 1883, Damascus, Syria) was the amīr of Mascara (from 1832), the military and religious leader who founded the Algerian state and led the Algerians in their 19th-century struggle against French domination (1840–46). https://www.britannica.com/biography/Abdelkader
Title 1
in the context ofInterstate System & the Global Economy
Religion & Statecraft
Statecraft refers to the art and practice of managing and governing a state or nation. It encompasses the strategies, tactics, and techniques used by political leaders and institutions to achieve national objectives, maintain power, manage internal and external affairs, and navigate complex political landscapes.
The interstate system refers to the network of relationships and interactions among sovereign states in the international arena. It encompasses the rules, norms, and structures that govern state behavior, including diplomatic relations, international organizations, and power dynamics.
Studying religion from a socio-political perspective involves examining how religious beliefs, practices, and institutions influence and are influenced by social and political structures. .
The global economy or global market logic refers to the interconnected system of economic activities, trade, and financial transactions that spans across national borders. It encompasses the flow of goods, services, capital, and labor between countries, driven by market forces, global supply chains, and international financial institutions.
Title 1
CONFLICT
CONTROL
Cooperation
Religious movements or institutions can act in opposition to state power, challenging its legitimacy or policies
The state co-opts or controls religious institutions to maintain power or legitimacy
States may cooperate with religious institutions to gain support, especially in times of crisis or during nation-building. Religious communities might cooperate with the state in exchange for power & protection
Modalities of State-Religion Relationships 3 C's
Title 1
LENDING Domestic Political Legitimacy
FACILITATING Geopolitical Reach & Influence
Religion as a tool of statecraft
Religion is often employed to consolidate state power, either by legitimizing its rule, institutions, and domestic initiatives, by providing a means to project influence and forge alliances internationally, or by supporting the state’s economic plans and endeavors.
Economic & Market LEgitimizer
Title 1
Tension Between Secular Regulation & Religious Authority
Tensions arise...
In secular contexts, religious practices such as halal certification are often regulated by the state, creating tension over who holds religious authority.
Internal Tensions Within Religious Establishments
State Induced Tenstions Within Religious Institutions
States often divide and manipulate religious institutions to suppress dissent, promoting certain clerics while sidelining others to serve political goals.
Religious institutions are not monolithic and often experience internal conflicts over autonomy and political influence.
The Secular-Religious Spectrum
Talal Asad argues that secularism is not simply the separation of religion and state but a specific way of structuring power, where the state regulates religious practices and defines their acceptable limits. Asad also notes that secular states may incorporate religious principles (like personal status laws), while Islamic states may adopt "secular" aspects like modern legal frameworks. The boundary between secular and Islamic states is not rigid. Both types of states use religion and secularism as tools of governance, and the way these labels function depends on local, historical, and political contexts.
Title 1
Secularism as RegulationNot Absence of Religion
Fluid Boundaries Between Secular & Religious States
Secularism & Religious States as Tools of Governance
Secularism as a Disciplinary Mechanism
Bureacratization of Religion
Globalization and state intervention have affected religious institutions, leading to their bureaucratization. The bureaucratization of religious practices and institutions shows the intertwining of religion with market and state dynamics. Many dynamics and developments, rather than signaling a return to tradition, are shaped by modern anxieties and addressed through bureaucracies. While movements such as religious revivalism, cultural nationalism, patriarchal family policies, or the reassertion of traditional governance may appear as returns to the past, they are often responses to contemporary challenges and framed within modern contexts.
Religious institutions, once seen as outside or resistant to modernity, are now deeply enmeshed in bureaucratic procedures, often (re)shaped by the state or market forces.
lecture @ a glance
Conflict
Collaboration
Control
STATEINSTITUTIONS
RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS
Local Level (elite competition + factionalism)
Global level (interstate system + global market)
Title 1
Iran
State Officials
In 1980, after a popular revolution, to Islamize the society, the state imposes Islamic dress code on its citizens
Consider the state’s overall project and ideology, while accounting for factionalism and elite competition
Turkey
Religious Leaders
In 1980, after a military coup, to enforce secularism, the state implemented a ban on veiled women entering public institutions.
Consider the resources they could mobilize to support or oppose the state, accounting for the diversity of religious communities.
Saudi Arabia
Citizens
As of recent reforms under Mohammed bin Salman, expatriate women are no longer required to wear an abaya or veil. Saudi women, however, are expected to adhere to veiling in public.
Consider the law's implications for citizens and their reactions.
Class Activity
Discuss & Share
Title 1
Ցտեսություն