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J. Matthew Wilson, Southern Methodist University, jmwilson@smu.edu
At the same time, the religion and politics section is especially interested in the conference's core themes of change and complexity. Recent decades have witnessed profound transformations in the world's religious landscape. Major faith traditions are becoming much more global than they once were; the Islamic presence in Europe is growing rapidly, as is Christianity in East Asia. There are now more Mormons outside the United States than within, and the balance of membership (and certainly growth and energy) in the Catholic and Anglican churches has shifted to the developing world. In addition, major parts of the globe where religion was once banished from the public square (i.e. the former communist states) are now open to religious influences in political life, while religious believers and ideas in the Western world are increasingly finding themselves challenged by competing liberal, secular orthodoxies. Proposals addressing the political consequences of these changes, either internationally, cross-nationally, or within the various affected countries, would be especially welcome. In addition, the section encourages proposals engaging the conference's focus on complexity. All too often, religious traditions are regarded as monolithic; thus, work examining politically relevant differences in belief or behavior within larger religious groupings (e.g. "liberal" versus "conservative" Catholicism or "radical" versus "moderate" Islam) is quite valuable. Moreover, the issue agendas of religious groups are often much more complex than popular accounts suggest, so political scientists have much to contribute in elucidating all of the dimensions of religious engagement with politics. Papers taking up these issues of differentiation and nuance would make especially appropriate additions to this year's program. |