Powers: Religion as a Social and Spiritual Force (The Future of the Religious Past)

This book, the first themed volume in the series The Future of the Religious Past, elaborates the manifold and fascinating interconnections between power and religion. It carries forward the work of the series in bringing together scholars from many disciplines and countries to research forms of religion in a way unfettered by the idea that religion is solely or even primarily a matter of belief in specific tenets or intellectual systems-it is also a matter of multiple particulars in individual and social life, such as powers, things, gestures, and words.Dealing with the nexus of religion and power, the present volume radically undermines the idea that the political relevance of religion is a thing of the past. Its essays treat power as a central aspect of religion on many levels, from that of macro-politics through the links between religion and nationhood to the level of personal empowerment or its obverse, disempowerment.Power and religion are both omnipresent in human action and interaction. There is no human act that does not include some kind of faith in a positive outcome and no deed in which power does not play some role. People obviously can attempt to use religion as an instrument to enhance their power or improve their status, whether personally or at the level of the nationstate. Yet religion is in principle ambiguous in relation to power: It can disempower as well as empower, and it can even function as a critique of existing power relations. Moreover,there is the consolatory function of religion, offering ways of compensation, of healing, and of enduring feelings of powerlessness.Like the first volume in the series, Religion: Beyond a Concept, the essays in this volume strike a balance between broad analyses of the nature of religion and power in their modes of emergence today and specific case studies from anthropology, sociology, and the arts. It is noteworthy for the breadth of the material it treats and its reach outside the Christian West, while not taking anything in that Western tradition for granted, given the astonishing changes of supposedly familiar religious phenomena we are viewing in the contemporary world. Powers: RELIGION AS A SOCIAL AND SPIRITUAL FORCE......Page 6 Contents......Page 8 Illustrations......Page 10 Preface......Page 12 Powers......Page 14 Religion and Power: Why?......Page 16 Power and Religion: Omnipresent but Hard to Define......Page 19 Religion as a Means of Exercising Power......Page 22 Religion as Critique of Power......Page 23 Religion’s Tools......Page 24 Religion as a Way of Release, Consolation, and Personal Empowerment......Page 26 Religion as Artistic Expression and Empowerment......Page 28 Religion: Empowerment, Disempowerment, or Both?......Page 30 This Volume: Four Sections......Page 32 PART I: Macropolitics......Page 36 A Story......Page 38 A Sequel......Page 39 Religion’s Seedbed......Page 40 Three Dimensions......Page 42 The Effect of Internal Power Processes on Religious Experience......Page 43 Recuperating the Original......Page 48 Epilogue......Page 51 Mark Juergensmeyer: Symbolic Violence: Religion and Empowerment......Page 54 Symbolic Violence......Page 56 Why Does Religion Need Violence?......Page 58 Cosmic War......Page 60 War Without Blood......Page 63 Avishai Margalit: Political Theology: The Authority of God......Page 66 Who Needs a Justification of Authority?......Page 67 The Authority of God......Page 68 The Authority of the Messenger......Page 72 The Authority of the Scriptures......Page 75 Talal Asad: Explaining the Global Religious Revival: The Egyptian Case......Page 78 PART II: The Nation......Page 94 David Morgan: Seeing Nationhood: Images of American Identity......Page 96 Peter van der Veer: The Visible and the Invisible in South Asia......Page 118 Anna-Karina Hermkens: The Power of Mary in Secessionist Warfare: Catholicism and Political Crisis in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea......Page 131 The Bougainville Crisis......Page 133 Bougainville as a Holy Island......Page 136 The Crisis as a Holy War......Page 143 The Power of Religion......Page 146 Cheikh Guèye and Olivia Gervasoni: The Mourid Brotherhood at the Center of Senegalese Political Life: A Dialectic of State and Religious Power......Page 149 The Mourid Brotherhood in Relation to the State: A Regulatory Symbiotic Relationship......Page 150 Symbolism, a Topos in the Relationship Between the State and the Mourid Brotherhood......Page 157 The President-Taalibe Dialectic......Page 162 Conclusion......Page 163 Shamil Jeppie: Sharia and State in the Sudan: From Late Colonialism to Late Islamism......Page 164 Sharia from Early to Late Colonialism......Page 166 Nationalism, Sharia, and Islam......Page 169 The Postcolonial State......Page 172 Constitutionalism and Sharia......Page 176 State, Sharia, and Late Islamism......Page 177 Late Islamism......Page 180 Conclusion......Page 181 Claudio Lomnitz and Rafael Sánchez: ‘‘Bolivarian’’ Anti-Semitism......Page 182 Chavismo’s Other......Page 184 The Political Vocabulary of Chavismo......Page 186 Duality of Power......Page 189 Chávez’s War of Religions......Page 190 The Costs of Bolivarian Anti-Semitism......Page 191 PART III: The Individual: Between Powerlessness and Empowerment......Page 194 Catrien Notermans: The Power of the Less Powerful: Making Memory on a Pilgrimage to Lourdes......Page 196 The Pilgrimage to Lourdes......Page 198 The Less Powerful......Page 200 Making Memory......Page 201 Powerful Action......Page 206 Conclusion......Page 207 José C. M. van Santen: ‘‘Without my headscarf I feel naked’’: ‘‘Veiling,’’ Laïcité, Politics, and Islamist Discourse in North Cameroon......Page 209 Veiling, the Laical State, and Cameroon......Page 211 North Cameroon: A Symbiosis of Politics and Religion......Page 216 Education......Page 217 Maimouna......Page 220 Conclusion......Page 222 Mieke Bal: Religion and Powerlessness: Elena in Nothing Is Missing......Page 224 PART IV: Religion and Power: Artistic Representations......Page 256 Rokus de Groot: Music, Religion, and Power: Qawwali as Empowering Disempowerment......Page 258 Qawwali Performances in Lahore, in Chicago, in Pâkpattan, and on CD......Page 259 Mysticism in Islam......Page 262 Transmission of Spiritual Power......Page 264 Places of Spiritual Power......Page 265 Musical Power......Page 266 Listening as Prior to Performing: The Low Status of Musicians......Page 267 Musicians’ Strategy......Page 268 The Musicalization of Qawwali......Page 269 The Spiritualization of Qawwali......Page 271 The Figure of Submission; Revelation......Page 273 Differentiation in Concert Qawwali......Page 274 Western Musicalization and the Spiritualization of Qawwali......Page 275 Appendix: An Email Conversation with Dr. Regula Qureshi on ‘‘Ecstasy,’’ May 9, 2007......Page 278 Jael Kraut: John Cage and the Mystification of Musical Silence......Page 280 Silencing Social Music......Page 281 Cage’s Turn to Religion......Page 284 Aesthetic of Absence......Page 287 Conclusion......Page 288 Laura Copier: Maternal Martyrdom: Alien3 and the Power of the Female Martyr......Page 290 Preposterous Constellations of Female Martyrs......Page 291 Classical Female Martyrs and Martyrdom......Page 295 The Muscular Mother......Page 297 The Monstrous Mother......Page 300 Preposterous Technology and Alternative Endings......Page 303 Introduction, by Meerten B. ter Borg and Jan Willem van Henten......Page 308 The Recovery of Perverted Religion, by André Droogers......Page 309 Symbolic Violence: Religion and Empowerment, by Mark Juergensmeyer......Page 310 Explaining the Global Religious Revival, by Talal Asad......Page 311 Seeing Nationhood: Images of American Identity, by David Morgan......Page 314 The Power of Mary in Secessionist Warfare: Catholicism and Political Crisis in Bougainville,Papua New Guinea, by Anna-Karina Hermkens......Page 316 Sharia and State in the Sudan: From Late Colonialism to Late Islamism, by Shamil Jeppie......Page 320 ‘‘Bolivarian’’ Anti-Semitism, by Claudio Lomnitz and Rafael Sánchez......Page 324 The Power of the Less Powerful: Making Memory on a Pilgrimage to Lourdes, by Catrien Notermans......Page 325 ‘‘Without my headscarf I feel naked’’, by José C. M. van Santen......Page 326 Music, Religion, and Power: Qawwali as Empowering Disempowerment, by Rokus de Groot......Page 331 John Cage and the Mystification of Musical Silence, by Jael Kraut......Page 335 Maternal Martyrdom: Alien3 and the Power of the Female Martyr, by Laura Copier......Page 336 Contributors......Page 340 Index......Page 344 Pt. I. Macropolitics. The Recovery Of Perverted Religion : Internal Power Processes And The Vicissitudes Of Religious Experience / Andre Droogers -- Symbolic Violence : Religion And Empowerment / Mark Juergensmeyer -- Political Theology : The Authority Of God / Avishai Margalit -- Explaining The Global Religious Revivial : The Egyptian Case / Talal Asad -- Pt. Ii. The Nation. Seeing Nationhood : Images Of American Identity / David Morgan -- The Visible And The Invisible In South Asia / Peter Van Der Veer -- The Power Of Mary In Secessionist Warfare : Catholicism And Political Crisis In Bougainville, Papua New Guinea / Anna-karina Hermkens -- The Mourid Brotherhood At The Center Of Senegalese Political Life : A Dialectic Of State And Religious Power / Cheikh Gueye And Olivia Gervasoni -- Sharia And State In The Sudan : From Late Colonialism To Late Islamism / Shamil Jeppie -- Bolivarian Anti-semitism / Claudio Lomnitz And Rafael Sánchez -- Pt. Iii. The Individual : Between Powerlessness And Empowerment. The Power Of The Less Powerful : Making Memory On A Pilgrimage To Lourdes / Catrien Notermans -- Without My Headscarf I Feel Naked : Veiling, Laïcite, Politics, And Islamist Discourse In North Cameroon / Jose C.m. Van Santen -- Religion And Powerlessness : Elena In Nothing Is Missing / Mieke Bal -- Pt. Iv. Religion And Power : Qawwali As Empowering Disempowerment / Rokus De Groot -- John Cage And The Mystification Of Musical Silence / Jael Kraut -- Maternal Martyrdom : Alien3 And The Power Of The Female Martyr / Laura Copier. Edited By Meerten B. Ter Borg And Jan Willem Van Henten. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Dealing with the nexus of religion and power, this volume undermines the idea that the political relevance of religion is a thing of the past. Its essays treat power as a central aspect of religion on many levels, from that of macro-politics through the links between religion and nationhood to the level of personal empowerment