Doctoral Conference in Religious Studies 2020 : Resistance to Order and Authority in Religion
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| Year of publication | 2020 |
| Type | Conference |
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| Description | Religion has served to legitimize political power, but it has also been a basis for resistance against order and authority. Be it the Maccabean revolt, Gandhi's practice of non-violence resistance,contemporary neo-pagan religions, or the counter-system movements portrayed by Mark Juergensmeyer in his 2001 book Terror in the Mind of God, religious beliefs have motivated people toreject social order that they deem as unjust, and possibly rise against it. Even in today’s secularizedsocieties, religion has served as the ground for social movements and manifestations addressingpressing socio-economic threats such as climate change, social inequality, authoritarian governments and minority discrimination. These observations have encouraged new trends in scholarly debate, especially regarding the emergence of alternative religious ideas and rituals in modern societies. Howhave old and new religious convictions legitimized various resistance movements among different communities? Which causes have influenced violent mobilizations against established social order,non-violent struggle, or the establishment of alternative community frameworks? What can these movements and ideas tell us about the role that religion plays today both in secularized and non-secularized societies? The conference invites contributions studying the conceptualization, management and instrumentalization of religious ideas and beliefs with regard to past and contemporary resistance movements. |
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