Religion, State, and Society

The book examines the relationship between religion and state in a comparative perspective with special attention paid to Western and Middle-Eastern experiences. It examines the resurgence of 'fundamentalism' not only in developing nations but also in economically affluent 'post-modern' societies.

"A solid and stimulating collection of essays on one of the most important issues of our day." - Gordon Wood, Professor of History, Brown University

"Religion, State and Society: Jefferson's Wall of Separation in Comparative Perspective is a 'must read' at a time when the relationship of religion to state and society is a global issue in mainstream and radical politics. Robert Fatton Jr. and R. K. Ramazani's stellar list of scholars shed new light on the origins and development of the Jeffersonian doctrine of the separation between church and state and place it in comparative perspective with European and Middle Eastern experiences. " - John L. Esposito is University Professor of Religion & International Affairs at Georgetown University; his most recent book is Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think.

Autorentext
ROBERT FATTON JR. is the Julia A. Cooper Professor of Government and Foreign Affairs in the Department of Politics at the University of Virginia, USA.
R. K. RAMAZANI was the Edward Stettinius Chair and served as the chairman of the Woodrow Wilson Department of Government and Foreign Affairs at the University of Virginia, USA.

Inhalt
Preface; A.J.O'Shaughnessy Introduction; R.Fatton Jr. & R.K.Ramazani PART I: THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: The JEFFERSONIAN WALL OF SEPARATION BETWEEN CHURCH AND STATE Thomas Jefferson's Christian Nation; P.Onuf Beyond Locke, Beyond Belief: The Nexus of Free Exercise and Separation of Church and State; J.N.Rakove 'Separation' Abroad: How Long the Jeffersonian Shadow?; R.M.O'Neil The Road From Monticello: The Influence of the American Constitutional Experience in Other Lands; A.E.D.Howard PART II: THE WALL OF SEPARATION AND WESTERN PERSPECTIVES Secularism, Liberalism and the Problem of Tolerance; A.B.Seligman America's Secular State and the Unsecular State of Europe; J.T.S.Madeley Christianity, Violence and Democracy: Socio-historical Selection from a Basic Religious Repertoire; D.Martin PART III:MIDDLE-EASTERN PERSPECTIVES Religion and Politics in the Middle East and North Africa; W.B.Quandt Revisiting Jefferson's Wall from a Contemporary Middle Eastern Perspective; A.E.Mayer Constitutionalizing Islam in the Arab World; N.J.Brown Religion and State in the State of Israel; D.Goldberg & B.Reich