Political science of religion

The political science of religion (also referred to as politicology of religion or politology of religion) is one of the youngest disciplines in the political sciences that deals with a study of influence that religion has on politics and vice versa with a focus on the relationship between the subjects (actors) in politics in the narrow sense: government, political parties, pressure groups, and religious communities. It was established in the last decades of the twentieth century.

Research areas

The basic research areas of the political science of religion are:

• All aspects of religious teachings and practices that have direct political contents and messages, such as religious understanding of government, power, political authority, state, political organizing, war, peace, etc.;
• All aspects of religious behavior and practice that don’t have direct political contents and messages but do have direct political consequences, such as building of religious edifices, pilgrimages, etc.;
• Attitudes and positions of political subjects in the narrow sense towards religion and religious communities, such as that of political parties and pressure groups towards religion and religious communities;
• Everything within apparently completely secular public behavior with no religious motives that causes religious consequences, such as an economic monopoly achieved by a religious group within a multi-confessional society – it cannot but cause political consequences.

These fields of research are in constant development. The newest area of research in political science of religion is on the subject of religion and international relations.

History

The political science of religion or politology of religion was established as an academic discipline in 1993 at the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Belgrade, Serbia. The founder of this discipline is Dr Miroljub Jevtic; http://www.fpn.bg.ac.rs/en/undergraduate-studies/political-department/third-year/ . In 2006, Georgetown University established the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs as one of the first American university research centers devoted to issues surrounding the political science of religion.

The Politics and Religion Journal was founded by the Center for Study of Religion and Religious Tolerance in Belgrade, Serbia in 2007. Its spiritus movens and editor in chief is Miroljub Jevtić, professor at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Belgrade, Serbia. The journal Politics and Religion, produced by Cambridge Journals, published its first volume in 2008.

The political science of religion is studied at almost all universities and political science departments in the United States. The American Political Science Association has a religion and politics section.

See also

• Christianity and politics
• Judaism and politics
• Political aspects of Islam
• List of political ideologies § Religious ideologies
• Religion and politics in the United States

References

• Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University, http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu
• Religion and Foreign Policy Initiative, Council on Foreign Relations, http://www.cfr.org/religion.
• Miroljub Jevtic, Politology of Religion,Center for Study of Religion and Religious Tolerance, Belgrade,2009,ISBN 978-86-87243-01-9, COBISS.SR-ID 169417996
• Miroljub Jevtic,Political Relations and Religion,Center for Study of Religion and Religious Tolerance, Belgrade,2011,ISBN 978-86-87243-06-4, COBISS.SR-ID 187288
• Miroljub Jevtic,Problems of Politology of Religion,Center for Study of Religion and Religious Tolerance, Belgrade,2012,ISBN 978-86-87243-08-8
• Miroljub Jevtic,Religion as a Political Science Research Subject,in Religion and Politics,ed. South-West University "Neofit Rilski", Faculty of Law and History, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria,2005,pp. 45–46;
• Miroljub Jevtic,Religija i politika-Uvod u Politikologiju religije(Religion and Politics-Introduction into Politology of Religion) ed. Institut for Political Studies and Department of Political Science, Belgrad,2002,pp. 15;
• Miroljub Jevtic,Political Science and Religion,in Politics and Religion,journal, 1/2007,Belgrade,pp. 59–69; https://web.archive.org/web/20140221223426/http://www.politicsandreligionjournal.com/images/pdf_files/engleski/volume1_no1/political_science_and_religion.pdf
• Miroljub Jevtic,Nabozenstvo a politika:Teoreticky Pristup(Religion and Politics:Theoretical Approach)in:2007 Rocenka Ustavu pre vztahy statu a cirkvi(Institut for State-Church Relations)Bratislava,2008, Slovakia,pp. 104–105;
• Miroljub Jevtic, Religion and Power-Essays on Politology of Religion, ed. Prizren : Dioceze of Ras-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija, Belgrade : Center for study of religion and religious tolerance, 2008,ISBN 978-86-82323-29-7,COBISS.SR-ID:153597452,pp. 268–269
• Miroljub Jevtic,Religion as a Political Science Research Subject,in Vjera i politika(The Faith and Politics)ed.Filozofsko-teoloski Institut druzbe Isusove,Zagreb,Croatia,2009,ISBN 978-953-231-076-4,pp. 121–122
• Miroljub Jevtic, Theoretical Relationsship Between Religion and Politics, “Indian Journal of Political Science" (IJPS) Vol. LXX, no 2, April/Juin 2009, pp. 409–418, ISSN 0019-5510

Further reading

• Pettman, Ralph (2004): Reason, Culture, Religion: The Metaphysics of World Politics, Palgrave, London and New York.
• "Indian Controversies: Essays on Religion in Politics" by Arun Shourie, Publishers: Rupa & Co, South Asia Books, A S A Publications, Language: English

External links

• APSA religion and politics
• Politics and Religion Journal
• Politics and Religion
• Kettell, Steven (2012). "Has Political Science Overlooked Religion?" (PDF). Political Science and Politics.
• "Religion and Politics". Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy.