International Relations and Religion

There are two separate sets of readings in this section. The series of articles by Atran, Hurd, Fox & Sandler, Kubalkova, Falk, Juergensmeyer, Wæver, and Haynes, deal with the general challenges that IR is facing in handling religion and its inclusion in theories of IR and world politics. Read these together and devote a section to them. The two readings by Piscatori deal with the specific question of whether Islam and Muslims can accept the “norms” of IR, especially the “Nation-State”, as the organizing unit and concept of IR.  The article by Cesari considers the historical interaction between Islam and the “Nation-State” building process in much of the Muslim world. The readings by Al-Dawoody and Mahallati provide an overview of both the traditional and the contemporary thinking of Muslim scholars on international relations, as well as questions of war and peace in Sunni and the Shia Islamic thought.

In the Required Video Section, the video lecture (up to minute 45) by Charles Taylor, the leading and famous Canadian philosopher, addresses the role and interaction of religion and secularism in the modern world. Mehdi Hasan’s intense interview with the famous British scientist, Richard Dawkins is an interesting exchange on tension between beliefs in religion and science. Try to identify a few key points, from each required video that you find most interesting and relevant.