"Political science is the scientific study of politics."
An introduction to the major theories and concepts of political science that inform the ways we approach the intersection of religion and politics.
Secularism: The concept of separating religion from politics and governance.
Theocracy: A system of governance where religious leaders or institutions have political power.
Fundamentalism: An extreme interpretation of religious texts that guides political beliefs and actions.
Secularization: The process by which religion loses its importance in society and politics.
Political Islam: The combination of political ideology and religious beliefs in Muslim-majority countries or regions.
Christianity and Politics: The relationship between Christianity and political institutions and policies.
Hinduism and Politics: The relationship between Hinduism and political institutions and policies in India.
Buddhism and Politics: The relationship between Buddhism and political institutions and policies in Southeast Asia.
Jewish Political Thought: The relationship between Judaism and political thought and philosophy.
Conflicts and Wars with Religious Motivations: Wars and conflicts that have religious motivations or implications.
Globalization and Religion: The impact of globalization on religion and religious practices.
Freedom of Religion: The legal and political concept that allows individuals to practice any religion of their choice.
Political Movements Based on Religion: Political movements that have religious beliefs and ideologies as their basis.
Religion and Human Rights: The relationship between religion and human rights issues, such as freedom of speech and gender equality.
Religion and Nationalism: The relationship between religion and national identity, and its impact on politics.
Multiculturalism and Religion: The co-existence of different religions in a society, and its implications on politics.
Atheism and Politics: The relationship between atheism and political ideology and philosophy.
Religion and Environmentalism: The relationship between religion and environmental policies and activism.
Religion and Immigration: The impact of religious beliefs on immigration policies and politics.
Ethical Issues in Religion and Politics: The moral and ethical dilemmas that arise when religion and politics intersect.
Political culture theory: Focuses on the shared beliefs, values, and norms that define a society's political behavior, including the role of religion in shaping these aspects.
Rational choice theory: Emphasizes the importance of individual self-interest and rationality in shaping political decision-making, and how religion can serve as a motivator for such choices.
Marxism theory: Sees religion as a tool of the ruling class to control the working class; religion can also serve as a potential source of resistance and revolution against economic oppression.
Functionalism theory: Describes religion as a form of social cohesion and institutionalized meaning-making that helps a political system maintain stability.
Pluralism theory: Views religion as one of many competing interest groups in a political system, with specific goals and interests to pursue and negotiate with other groups.
Postmodernism theory: Highlights how religion can be used as a form of power and discourse, challenging dominant political narratives and opening up new avenues for political action.
Feminism theory: Explores how religion has been used to reinforce patriarchal power structures in political systems, and how women have challenged and transformed these norms to assert their own agency and autonomy.
Secularization theory: Posits that religion will decline in importance over time as modernization and industrialization progress, potentially leading to a more secular and rationalized political system.
Constructivism theory: Emphasizes the role of discourse, language, and interpretation in shaping political meaning, including how religion is constructed and deployed in the political sphere.
Evolutionary theory: Seeks to explain the origins and development of religion in human societies, and how biological and cultural factors interact to shape religious beliefs and practices.
Realism theory: Focuses on the tangible power structures and material interests that shape political systems, including the role of religion in maintaining or challenging these structures.
Critical theory: Analyzes how power operates in political systems, including how religion may be used to reinforce or challenge dominant relations of power.
Postcolonial theory: Scrutinizes the legacy of colonialism and imperialism on political systems, including how religion was used to justify and perpetuate these systems of oppression.
Cognitive theory: Investigates the psychological mechanisms that underlie political decision-making, including how religious beliefs and values can shape cognitive processes and biases.
Actor-Network theory: Proposes that social and political structures emerge from the fluid relationships and interactions between humans, non-human actors, and material objects, which includes the role of religion in shaping these interactions.
"It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and laws."
"Modern political science can generally be divided into the three subdisciplines of comparative politics, international relations, and political theory."
"Other notable subdisciplines are public policy and administration, domestic politics and government, political economy, and political methodology."
"Political science is related to, and draws upon, the fields of economics, law, sociology, history, philosophy, human geography, political anthropology, and psychology."
"Approaches include positivism, interpretivism, rational choice theory, behaviouralism, structuralism, post-structuralism, realism, institutionalism, and pluralism."
"Political science, as one of the social sciences, uses methods and techniques that relate to the kinds of inquiries sought: primary sources, such as historical documents and official records, and secondary sources, such as scholarly journal articles, survey research, statistical analysis, case studies, experimental research, and model building."
"Modern political science can generally be divided into the three subdisciplines of comparative politics, international relations, and political theory."
"Political science is related to, and draws upon, the fields of economics, law, sociology, history, philosophy, human geography, political anthropology, and psychology."
"Approaches include positivism, interpretivism, rational choice theory, behaviouralism, structuralism, post-structuralism, realism, institutionalism, and pluralism."
"Political science... uses methods and techniques that relate to the kinds of inquiries sought: primary sources, such as historical documents and official records, and secondary sources, such as scholarly journal articles, survey research, statistical analysis, case studies, experimental research, and model building."
"Other notable subdisciplines are public policy and administration, domestic politics and government, political economy, and political methodology."
"Political science is related to, and draws upon, the fields of economics, law, sociology, history, philosophy, human geography, political anthropology, and psychology."
"Political science... uses methods and techniques that relate to the kinds of inquiries sought: primary sources, such as historical documents and official records..."
"...and secondary sources, such as scholarly journal articles, survey research, statistical analysis, case studies, experimental research, and model building."
"Political science is the scientific study of politics."
"It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and laws."
"Other notable subdisciplines are public policy and administration, domestic politics and government, political economy, and political methodology."
"Political science is related to, and draws upon, the fields of economics, law, sociology, history, philosophy, human geography, political anthropology, and psychology."
"Political science is methodologically diverse and appropriates many methods originating in psychology, social research, and political philosophy."