"A religious war or a war of religion, sometimes also known as a holy war (Latin: sanctum bellum), is a war which is primarily caused or justified by differences in religion and beliefs."
This subfield studies the role and impact of religion in colonialism.
Definition of Religious Imperialism: This topic covers the basic concept of Religious Imperialism, its origins, and the ways it has been practiced over time.
The Age of Exploration: This topic examines the impact of European explorers on indigenous peoples and the use of religion as a tool of domination.
The Crusades: This topic looks at the historical context, motives, and consequences of the Crusades, which were a form of religious imperialism.
Colonialism and Imperialism: This topic explores the relationship between religion and colonialism, as well as the role of religion in imperial expansion.
Religion and Empire: This topic examines the relationship between religion and empire, the ways in which religion was used to justify imperialism, and the impact on the colonized peoples.
The Scramble for Africa: This topic explores the motives behind European imperialism in Africa, the role of religion in the colonization, and the impact on African cultures.
The Opium Wars: This topic examines the use of religion as a tool of imperialism in China and the consequences of the Opium Wars.
Anti-Imperialist Movements: This topic looks at resistance movements against colonialism and imperialism, including the role of religion in these movements.
The Impact of Religious Imperialism: This topic examines the short-term and long-term impacts of religious imperialism on the colonized peoples and cultures.
Post-Colonialism: This topic explores the ongoing legacy of colonialism and the role of religion in the postcolonial world.
Christian imperialism: This is a form of imperialism that involves promoting and imposing Christianity upon other societies. This was particularly common during the colonial era, when various European powers sought to spread Christianity throughout their colonies in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Examples include the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs in Mexico, and the British colonization of India.
Islamic imperialism: This involves the spread of Islam by force, persuasion or conversion to other parts of the world, and can be seen as an extension of the Islamic faith since the Arabian Peninsula was initially colonized by Muslims. This type of imperialism became more prominent during the Arab Islamic conquests from the 7th century onwards.
Buddhist imperialism: This approach involved the propagation of the Buddhist faith through Imperial powers like the Mauryan empire of India, and Ashoka specifically.
Hindu Imperialism: This includes the spread of Hinduism across South Asia by the Kshatriya warriors.
Jewish Imperialism: Although there is not a recorded history of Jews colonizing other regions in early history until the nation of Israel was created in 1948 through the Zionist movement, the term religious imperialism or colonisation can undoubtedly fit to describe the dispossession, displacement, and land seizure that Palestinian Muslims and Christians underwent followed by Ashkenazi and Mizrahi Jewish immigration to Palestine.
Chinese Imperialism: This refers to the spread of Chinese culture and ideology particularly during the Tang, Song, and Ming Dynasties of Asia.
Confucian Imperialism: This doctrine explains how the Confucian class upheld mandates to protect the emperor and were responsible for spreading Confucianism through Chinese Imperialism.
Japanese Imperialism: This involves Japan's colonization of various East Asian territories, particularly Korea and parts of China, during the early 20th century.
Western Imperialism: This general category refers to all varieties of imperialism perpetrated by Western powers, most notably those of Europe during the 19th and early 20th centuries.
"The modern period debates over the extent to which religious, economic, ethnic or other aspects of a conflict are predominant in a given war."
"The degree to which a war may be considered religious depends on many underlying questions, such as the definition of religion, the definition of 'religious war', and the applicability of religion to war as opposed to other possible factors."
"Conflicts may not be rooted strictly in religion and instead may be a cover for the underlying secular power, ethnic, social, political, and economic reasons for conflict."
"A largely 'Western dichotomy' and a modern invention from the past few centuries."
"In several conflicts including the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, the Syrian civil war, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, religious elements are overtly present."
"Variously described as fundamentalism or religious extremism—depending upon the observer's sympathies."
"Studies on these cases often conclude that ethnic animosities drive much of the conflicts."
"Out of all 1,763 known/recorded historical conflicts, 121, or 6.87%, had religion as their primary cause."
"Matthew White's The Great Big Book of Horrible Things gives religion as the primary cause of 11 of the world's 100 deadliest atrocities."