The Apologetics of Decolonisation: Defending Religion in South and Southeast Asia after the Second World War

2021 ◽  
pp. 160-181
Author(s):  
Clemens Six
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Historical Research ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Institutional Practices ◽  
South And Southeast Asia ◽  
Role Of Religion ◽  
Second World ◽  
The Church

Decolonisation in South and Southeast Asia after 1945 was a period of intense negotiations over the role of religion in postcolonial society. For many witnesses in the religious field, religion had to be defended against primarily three threats: the changing power structures of imperial decline; communism; and secular nationalism. In this chapter I examine in how far the (Christian) concept of apologetics is suitable for world-historical research. My argument is that apologetics can indeed broaden our conceptual and empirical understanding of the twentieth century and deepen our understanding of religion and decolonisation. To do so, I propose to distinguish between three different forms of apologetics in word and deed: transnational forms of apologetics (illustrated by the theologies and institutional practices of the Church Missionary Society), national-majoritarian apologetics (discussed with the example of the Hindu-nationalist RSS in post-Partition India), and national-adaptive apologetics (as practices by Muhammadiyah in early-postcolonial Indonesia).

scholarly journals The Bones of Contention: The Secularization of Cemeteries and Funerals in the Spanish Second Republic

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-95
Author(s):  
Matthew Kerry
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Property Rights ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Culture War ◽  
Second Republic ◽  
The People ◽  
Legal Context ◽  
Role Of Religion ◽  
The Church

The secularizing efforts of the Spanish Second Republic met fierce resistance from Catholics and the Church. Local authorities spearheaded secularization in an unclear legal context, yet they also attempted to mediate between different demands, while protecting Catholic sentiment and respecting property rights. Cemeteries and funeral processions were a key battleground in a ‘culture war’ which straddles the nineteenth-century preoccupation with the role of religion in the lives of Spanish citizens and the intensity of interwar conflict, the bitter struggles to occupy public space, and the mobilization of antagonistic conceptualizations of the ‘people’.

scholarly journals Sport and British Jewish identity

2020 ◽  
pp. 101269022095862
Author(s):  
Jon Dart
Keyword(s):  
South Asian ◽  
Jewish Identity ◽  
Jewish People ◽  
Historical Research ◽  
Minority Communities ◽  
Sports Clubs ◽  
Role Of Religion ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Sports Activities

This article examines the relationship between sport and Jewish identity. The experiences of Jewish people have rarely been considered in previous sport-related research which has typically focused on ‘Black’ and South Asian individuals, sports clubs, and organisations. Drawing on data generated from interviews ( n = 20) and focus groups ( n = 2) with individuals based in one British city, this article explores how their Jewish identity was informed, and shaped by, different sports activities and spaces. This study’s participants were quick to correct the idea that sport was alien to Jewish culture and did not accept the stereotype that ‘Jews don’t play sport’. The limited historical research on sport and Jewish people and the ongoing debates around Jewish identity are noted before exploring the role of religion and the suggestion that Jewish participation in sport is affected by the Shabbat (sabbath). Participants discussed how sports clubs acted as spaces for the expression and re/affirmation of their Jewish identity, before they reflected on the threats posed to the wider Jewish community by secularism, assimilation, and antisemitism. The article concludes by discussing how the sporting experiences of the study’s British Jewish participants compare with the experiences of individuals from other ethnic minority communities.

scholarly journals The Strength of Weak Ties: Role of Networks in Nepali Migration to South and Southeast Asia 1900-2000

1970 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-47
Author(s):  
Lopita Nath
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Weak Ties ◽  
South And Southeast Asia ◽  
Strength Of Weak Ties

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/bodhi.v4i1.5809Bodhi 2010 4(1): 18-47

What drives consumer demand for rice fragrance? Evidence from South and Southeast Asia

2020 ◽  
Vol 122 (11) ◽  
pp. 3473-3498 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subir Bairagi ◽  
Matty Demont ◽  
Marie Claire Custodio ◽  
Jhoanne Ynion
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Gender Equity ◽  
Consumer Preferences ◽  
Stated Preference ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Choice Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
South And Southeast Asia ◽  
Asian Consumers

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze geographic heterogeneity of consumer preferences for intrinsic quality attributes of rice in South and Southeast Asia and the drivers of demand for these attributes, with a particular focus on rice fragrance and the role of gender.Design/methodology/approachStated-preference surveys were conducted with 4,231 urban and rural consumers in 37 cities across seven countries (Bangladesh, India, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam) during 2013–2014 and analyzed through a rank-ordered logistic regression with incomplete ranking choice data.FindingsPreferences for rice attributes are found to be significantly heterogeneous among consumers in South and Southeast Asia. Urban Thai consumers tend to prioritize appearance and cooking characteristics over taste and nutritional benefits, relative to all other surveyed consumers. In contrast with South Asian consumers, Southeast Asian consumers have largely adopted Thai preferences for rice texture and fragrance, a trend that was earlier coined “Jasminization.” We find that demand for rice fragrance is mainly driven by women, educated consumers, large families, families spending a lower share of their food expenditures on rice, and consumers in Southeast Asia (particularly the Philippines and Cambodia).Originality/valueLittle is known about geographic heterogeneity, drivers, and the role of gender in demand for rice fragrance. This paper fills these knowledge gaps. Our findings suggest that the more women are empowered in grocery decision-making, the more demand for aromatic rice is expected to rise. These insights can assist market-driven and gender-responsive rice breeding programs in simultaneously enhancing rice farmers' livelihoods and gender equity.

scholarly journals THE PLACE OF WORSHIP IN SOLEMNIZATION OF A MARRIAGE

2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 260-294
Author(s):  
Wendy Kennett
Keyword(s):  
Same Sex Couples ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Constituent Element ◽  
History Of ◽  
English Law ◽  
Role Of Religion ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Alternative Solutions ◽  
The Church

AbstractThe recent decision of the United Kingdom Supreme Court in Regina (Hodkin and another) v Registrar General for Births, Deaths and Marriages concerned the registration of the premises belonging to the Church of Scientology in London as a place of worship, specifically for the purpose of enabling a marriage to take place there which would be valid in law. This article examines the continuing significance of a registered place of worship in the English law rules on formalities of marriage. It provides a brief history of the role of religion in the solemnization of marriages in England and Wales, and the emergence of the “place of worship” as a constituent element in the celebration of a valid marriage. The role of marriage at a registered place of worship in the current legislation governing the formalities of marriage is considered, along with the impact on that scheme of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013. The exceptional character of the approach adopted by English law is highlighted by a comparative survey of laws on the solemnization of marriages, which also demonstrates some of the problems arising out of alternative solutions. Finally, recent attempts to reform the law are noted, followed by some concluding remarks on possible future developments.

Commentary

Transfers ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 108-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin Hannam
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Special Section ◽  
Theoretical Literature ◽  
South And Southeast Asia ◽  
Cultural Diffusion ◽  
Human Actors ◽  
Transportation Technologies

In this brief commentary on the articles in this special section, I would like to relate them to more contemporary mobilities issues as well as the wider mobilities theoretical literature. In so doing, I seek to highlight and interrogate a key theme, namely Asian innovation in mobilities and processes of cultural diffusion. As the editors of the special section suggest, historically the introduction of new transportation technologies and their ensuing mobilities practices became symbols of modernity for much of South and Southeast Asia under colonialism. They also emphasize that such innovations were highly contested and thus they suggest that the mobility of mobilities is seldom a smooth process, but, rather, laden with negotiations and struggles over power. Furthermore, the editors highlight that Asia should not be represented as an imitator of Western mobility and modernity but rather seek to place innovation agency in Asian hands. The articles prompt me to ask a further question about the role of non-human actors in these processes: Is it more a question of placing innovation in the vehicles of mobility themselves?

Ethno-Regionalism, Politics and the Role of Religion in Zambia: Changing Ecumenical Landscapes in a Christian Nation, 2015-2018

Exchange ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-126
Author(s):  
Teddy Chalwe Sakupapa
Keyword(s):  
Religion And Politics ◽  
The Political ◽  
Religion And Ethnicity ◽  
Ethnicity And Politics ◽  
Role Of Religion ◽  
Christian Nation ◽  
The Church

Abstract This contribution explores the interaction between religion and politics in a religiously plural and ethnically multidimensional Zambian context. Given the political salience of both religion and ethnicity in Zambian politics, this research locates an understudied aspect in the discourse on religion and politics in Zambia, namely the multiple relations between religion, ethnicity and politics. It specifically offers a historical-theological analysis of the implications that the political mobilisation of religion has for ecumenism in Zambia since Edgar Chagwa Lungu became the country’s president (2015-2018). Underlining the church-dividing potential of non-theological (doctrinal) factors, the article argues that the ‘political mobilisation of religion’ and the ‘pentecostalisation of Christianity’ in Zambia are reshaping the country’s ecumenical landscapes. Accordingly, this contribution posits the significance of ecumenical consciousness among churches and argues for a contextual ecumenical ecclesiology.

Edward Gibbon (1737–1794) and Early Christianity

1994 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 661-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. H. C. Frend
Keyword(s):  
Roman Empire ◽  
Ancient Rome ◽  
Christian Church ◽  
The Public ◽  
History Of ◽  
Secular Society ◽  
Role Of Religion ◽  
The Church

Thus Gibbon opened the thirty-seventh chapter of the History of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, a lengthy chapter devoted to the twin topics of ‘the institution of monastic life’ and ‘the conversion of the northern barbarians’. The connection between the history of the Roman Empire and the Christian Church was indeed indissoluble. The Church was destined to follow the pattern of the empire by gradually degenerating as it grew in strength from original purity in the life of Christ and the Apostles to become a corrupt and baleful influence on the fortunes of secular society. Looking back over twenty years of research and writing (1767–87) he wrote near the beginning of his final chapter, ‘In the preceding volumes of this History, I have described the triumph of barbarism and religion and I can only resume in a few words, their real or imaginary connection with the ruin of ancient Rome.’ He goes on to list ‘potent and forcible causes of destruction’ by barbarians and Christians respectively. As he finally laid down his pen on 27 June 1787 at Lausanne, he concluded with a sentence whose strict accuracy has sometimes been doubted: ‘It was among the ruins of the Capitol that I first conceived the idea of a work which has amused and exercised twenty years of my life, and which, however inadequate to my wishes, I finally deliver to the curiosity and candour of the public.’ The date of this decision was 15 October 1764. Here we survey briefly the role of ‘religion’, i.e. Christianity in the ruin of the Roman Empire.

Religion and the Chinese Diaspora in Southeast Asia

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-249
Author(s):  
Kenneth Dean
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Community Building ◽  
Chinese Diaspora ◽  
Chinese Religion ◽  
Role Of Religion ◽  
Made In

Abstract This paper uses three case studies—(1) community building by Methodist Chinese in Sibu, Sarawak; (2) the construction of transnational temple networks originating in Chinese temples in Sibu; and (3) hybrid spirit medium processions in Kalimantan—to explore aspects of the role of religion within the Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia. Analytic approaches to Chinese religion proposed by Weber and Mauss are discussed, and an argument is made in favor of following the spread of civilizational techniques into hybrid social and ritual formations.

ARCHITECTURE AND POWER: CHURCHES IN NORTHERN ITALY FROM THE 4TH TO THE 6TH C.

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 285-309
Author(s):  
Gisella Cantino Wataghin
Keyword(s):  
Northern Italy ◽  
Documentary Evidence ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Monumental Architecture ◽  
Christian Communities ◽  
Hierarchical Complexity ◽  
Changing Role ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Church

This paper considers the relationship between the development of monumental churches and the rise of Christian communities and episcopal power. Using a number of examples attested by archaeological and documentary evidence it examines how the increasing complexity of Christian architecture, decoration and liturgical arrangement reflects the growing power of the bishop and the developing hierarchical complexity of Christian communities. In conclusion it examines the changing role of Christian monumental architecture as a vehicle for articulating the changing power structures of the Church between the 4th and 6th c.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document