Borders of Belief : Religious Nationalism and the Formation of Identity in Ireland and Turkey

## Conclusion Acknowl edgments Notes Bibliography Index ## BORDERS OF BELIEF 1 1 • BORDERS AND BOUND ARIES OF THE NATION Constructing a Theory of Religious Nationalism In June of 1913, Irish schoolteacher, poet, and po liti cal activist Patrick Pearse gave an address at the grave of famed Irish nationalist hero Wolfe Tone. He and his audience had gathered, he argued, "to express once more our full ac cep tance of the gospel of Irish Nationalism. " He described the experience of coming into contact with Tone's pure soul as coming into "a new baptism, unto a new regeneration and cleansing. " Though Tone was himself a "heretic" (a Protestant), Pearse argued he "put virility into the Catholic movement" and recognized "that in Ireland there must be, not two nations or three nations, but one nation"; Protestants must be brought into amity with the Catholic majority to achieve freedom for all.1 Elsewhere, Pearse continued to describe the new nation he and his colleagues sought to build in religious terms, repeatedly drawing upon Catholic themes of martyrdom, equating the national community's suffering with that of Christ, and predicting a similar triumphant resurrection in power and glory.2 For Pearse and many of his colleagues, religion played a power ful role in the ways they conceptualized, defined, and policed the bound aries of the national community. Indeed, Pearse's Catholic nationalism was the culmination of a tradition of merging religion with nationality that nineteenth-century Irish Dominican preacher Tom Burke summarized by arguing, "Take an average Irishman-I don't care where you find him-and you will find that the very first princi ple in his mind is, 'I am not an En glishman, because I am a Catholic!' "3 By the time the majority of Ireland achieved in de pen dence in 1922, Catholicism had become the foundation of Irish national identity. When the first constitution of the Republic of Ireland was passed in 1937, it contained an article that granted a special status for Catholicism in the national government, proclaiming that "The State recognizes "Religion and nationalism are two of the most powerful forces in the world. And as powerful as they are separately, humans throughout history have fused religious beliefs and nationalist politics to develop religious nationalism, which uses religious identity to define membership in the national community. But why and how have modern nationalists built religious identity as the foundational signifier of national identity in what sociologists have predicted would be a more secular world? This book takes two cases -- nationalism in both Ireland and Turkey in the 20th century -- as a foundation to advance a new theory of religious nationalism. By comparing cases, Goalwin emphasizes how modern political actors deploy religious identity as a boundary that differentiates national groups This theory argues that religious nationalism is not a knee-jerk reaction to secular modernization, but a powerful movement developed as a tool that forges new and independent national identities"-- Provided by publisher Religion and nationalism are two of the most powerful forces in theworld. And as powerful as they are separately, humans throughouthistory have fused religious beliefs and nationalist politics todevelop religious nationalism, which uses religiousidentity to define membership in the national community.But why and how have modern nationalists built religious identityas the foundational signifier of national identity in whatsociologists have predicted would be a more secular world? Thisbook takes two cases - nationalism in both Ireland and Turkey inthe 20th century - as a foundation to advance a new theory ofreligious nationalism. By comparing cases, Goalwin emphasizes howmodern political actors deploy religious identity as a boundarythat differentiates national groups This theory argues thatreligious nationalism is not a knee-jerk reaction tosecular modernization, but a powerful movement developed as a toolthat forges new and independent national identities Borders and boundaries of the nation : constructing a theory of religious nationalism -- The gospel of Irish nationalism : religion and official discourses of the nation in Ireland -- Religion on the ground : everyday Catholicism and national identity in Ireland -- Constructing the new nation : official nationalism and religious homogenization in the Republic of Turkey -- Religion and nation are one : lived experience and everyday religion on the ground in Turkey -- Conclusion