Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 280
•
Trim: 6⅜ x 9⅜
978-0-7425-5823-6 • Hardback • February 2007 • $140.00 • (£108.00)
978-0-7425-5824-3 • Paperback • February 2007 • $52.00 • (£40.00)
978-0-7425-7134-1 • eBook • February 2007 • $49.00 • (£38.00)
James Wellman is associate professor in the Comparative Religion Program at the University of Washington.
1 Introduction: Religion and Violence: Past, Present and Future
Part 2 The Ancient and Medieval World
Chapter 2 Dismemberment, Creation, and Ritual: Images of Divine Violence in the Ancient Near East
Chapter 3 Making Memory: Ritual, Rhetoric, and Violence in the Roman Triumph
Chapter 4 Taming the Beast: Rabbinic Pacification of Second Century Jewish Nationalism
Chapter 5 Violent Yearnings for the Kingdom of God: Münster's Militant Anabaptism
Chapter 6 Imperial Christianity and Sacred War in Byzantium
Chapter 7 Founding an Empire of Sacrifice: Innocent Domination and the Quaker Martyrs of Boston, 1659-1661
Part 7 The Modern World
Chapter 8 Holy Culture Wars: Patterns of Ethno-Religious Violence in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century China
Chapter 9 Femicide as Terrorism: The Case of Uzbekistan's Unveiling
Chapter 10 Monks, Guns and Peace: Theravada Buddhism and Political Violence
Chapter 11 Avoiding Mass Violence at Rajneeshpuram
Chapter 12 "Obliterating an Idol of the Modern Age": The New Iconoclasm from the Twin Buddhas to the Twin Towers
Chapter 13 Is War Normal for American Evangelical Religion?
Chapter 14 On Political Theology, Imperial Ambitions, and Messianic Pretensions: Some Ancient and Modern Continuities
This cross-disciplinary group of scholars provides fascinating studies across historical periods and religious traditions - all centered around the crucial theoretical point that religious group identities both promote solidarity and can facilitate violence. An important contribution to a timely and urgent conversation.
— Rhys H. Williams, University of Cincinnati, Editor, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
The case studies in this interesting volume show that religion and violence have been associated throughout history and around the world. From the ancient Near East to 20th century China and contemporary Thailand, violent acts have been committed in the name of religion. Drawing on diverse traditions and theoretical perspectives, this lively volume enlarges our understanding of this dark attraction between bloodshed and belief.
— Mark Juergensmeyer, professor emeritus of global studies and sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara
Belief and Bloodshed has a definite advantage over similar ones in that it offers a fairly global and historical perspective on its subject. ...All those interested in the nexus of religion and violence - either from a purely academic standpoint or with practical intentions toward the reclamation of faith from its historical and lamentable darker tendencies - would be well served by this important book.
— 2008; Encyclopedia Of Arkansas History and Culture
Of the many volumes published on religious violence in the last few years, few rise to the level of Belief and Bloodshed.... A definite advantage over similar ones in that it offers a fairly global and historical perspective on its subject, rather than focusing on the monotheistic traditions and the modern age, as is popular....All those interested in the nexus of religion and violence—either from a purely academic standpoint or with practical intentions toward the reclamation of faith from its historical and lamentable darker tendencies—would be well served by this important book.
— 2008; Ploughshares Magazine
Global in scope and acutely sensitive to local manifestations of religious violence in ancient and modern times, this is the best anthology on religion and violence available today. No one interested in the relationship between religion and violence can afford to ignore this intelligent and well-rounded discussion.
— Hector Avalos, Iowa State University