Religious repression--the non-violent suppression of civil and political rights--is a growing and global phenomenon. Though most often practiced in authoritarian countries; levels of religious repression nevertheless vary across a range of non-democratic regimes; including illiberal democracies and competitive authoritarian states.In The Varieties of Religious Repression; Ani Sarkissian argues that seemingly benign regulations and restrictions on religion are tools that non-democratic leaders use to repress independent civic activity; effectively maintaining their hold on power. Sarkissian examines the interaction of political competition and the structure of religious divisions in society; presenting a theory of why religious repression varies across non-democratic regimes. She also offers a new way of understanding the commonalties and differences of non-democratic regimes by focusing on the targets of religious repression.Drawing on quantitative data from more than one hundred authoritarian states; as well as case studies of sixteen countries from around the world; Sarkissian explores the varieties of repression that states impose on religious expression; association; and political activities; describing the obstacles these actions present for democratization; pluralism; and the development of an independent civil society.
#2766113 in Books 2004-09-30Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 5.40 x .90 x 8.40l; 1.32 #File Name: 0199275483428 pages
Review
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful. Ambitious and ChallengingBy Kevin OliverFollowing in the footsteps of Simon Price; Gradel undertakes a study of the Roman "imperial cult" on its own terms (i.e. free from the "Christianizing assumptions" that have burdened the subject for much of history). But whereas Price focuses chiefly on the practice of emperor worship in the Greek East; Gradel confines his study to the phenomenon as found in Italy and Rome itself.Despite long-held assumptions about the essential foreignness of Roman emperor worship; Gradel endeavors to show that the practice is in fact very much in keeping with traditional Roman practice. Moreover; Gradel sees a relationship between certain forms of emperor worship (particularly those analogous to the worship of the paterfamilias in household cult) and the current monarch's public relationship with the Senate and other elites; thereby offering one explanation for why certain practices are associated with "despotic" or "mad" emperors in the histories as written by members of the elite class.Gradel does make certain statements and assumptions that could use further support or at least further elaboration. And only time will tell to what degree this revisionist view of emperor cult is accepted by classicists in general. But it is a challenging and ambitious work that I hope will encourage further inquiry into the question of emperor worship as a legitimate feature of Roman religion. Highly recommended to anyone interested in this field of study. See also Price's _Ritual Power_.
