Product Description
The main rationale for this book is that there are many people who still do not believe a book like this one needs to be written. This book is about the global resurgence of culture and religion in international relations, and how these social changes are transforming our understanding of IR theory, and some of the key policy-related issue areas in world politics. It is evident in the on-going debates over the ‘root causes’ of the tragic events of 11 September that … More >>
#1 by Mr. N. Coombs on April 19, 2010 - 12:43 am
I am going to take a liberty in this review that is only justified in the absense of any other reviews yet posted; I admit, I have not read the book. But – having taken a series of Scott’s courses and read many of his articles I am fairly confident that the content will conform to his long standing positions on the issue of religion in IR, which he has been teaching for years.
The first most obvious point is that Scott believes that the ‘global resurgence of religion’ is not merely a postmodern political phenomena in the wake of dwindling Third World nationalism and ruthless right wing american politiking, but a genuine revival in faith across the theological spectrum. Epistemological issues aside, and this contention particularly raises many, what are the ethical implications of a subjective as well as objective political manifestation of belief? Scott seeks guidance and puts faith, quite literally in faith, to guide us out of war and conflict in the twenty first century.
The idea, however, of intercultural faith based discourse is on shaky ground. Like Huntington he shares essentialised notions of national and religious cultures, that are temporally static and proceed from a starting point of mutual exclusivity. Using eisenstadt’s notion of multiple modernities he clarifies how this process can lead to multiply differentiated modern states conforming to different standards around various religious practices. The ontological question of modernity’s relationship to faith is never raised and subsumed by the rhetorical gesture of ‘multiple modernities’ that seeks to locate modernity merely in the institutional apparatus of technology, commerce and consumerism and not within the life-world of the individual. Clarity requires confronting that pesky epistemological issue so studiously avoided.
On top of this we have to wonder in the realist mode whether a blanket idea of faith based ethics is of any utility in complicated governance problems and in war and peace. Scott’s enthusiastic support for the war in Iraq, and the vacuous arguments fielded in favour of it, probably wont make its way into this book, but they thoroughly cast a doubt over the whole idea of a regressive return to theologically guided decision making and its implications for phrophetically realising ‘The Clash of Civilisations.’
I give this book 3 stars firstly out of my ignorance to its exact textual context, and secondly because knowing his work and ideas Im sure it is at least a well written forray into, in my opinion, an unprofitable avenue of research. But an avenue that is probably significant for anyone requiring understanding of the internal dialectics (between left and right) of the religious contingent of IR theory.
Rating: 3 / 5
#2 by Larry Baker on April 19, 2010 - 12:49 am
“The Global Resurgence of Religion and the Transformation of International Relations” not only counts the global resurgence of faith to be authentic but also counts it as integral to public life. Instead of buying into a whole-sale rejection of faith, this book suggests that we need to rethink religion on the basis of the empirical evidence presented to us in globalization. This question actually challenges a great deal of liberal theories of religion that would have us believe the faith is something that stops-up the political process rather than promotes it. I think that Thomas’s insight into how religion has offered transnational identities to those marginalized peoples of the world is important and begs for more attention. In response to the first review given of this book I would also add that ‘faith identities’ are far from static, but are living traditions in which people participate and transform. It is not as though faith only transforms politics but politics has also transformed faith–they inform each other. This view would suggest that the influence of faith in global politics might open up new areas of conversation and promote better relationships, relationships that are built on respect for each other’s faith/political situation. I highly doubt that this is an unpromising investigation!
Rating: 4 / 5