Rethinking Religion and Politics in a Plural World: The Baha’i International Community and the United Nations
Ebook
In this book, Julia Berger examines internal meaning-making structures and processes driving NGO behavior, identifying constructs from within a religious tradition that forge new ways of pursuing social change. She evaluates the operation of a distinct rationality, arguing that action is guided not simply by beliefs and values, but also by a combination of elements so intrinsic as to constitute an “organizational DNA.” These hidden structures and rationalities manifest themselves in new modes of engagement and agency; they help us to see the pivotal role of religion in shaping notions of peace, progress, and modernity.
To demonstrate the operation and salience of such a rationality, Berger draws on the example of the worldwide Baha'i community. Emerging in 19th century Iran, the community's theological engagement with questions of justice, the unity of humankind, and the emerging global order, constitute one of the most distinct and compelling, yet least-researched examples of religious engagement with the pressing questions of our time. Analyzing events spanning a 75-year period from 1945-2020, this book provides a unique historical and contemporary perspective on the evolving role of religion and civil society in the modern world.
The first academic study of the Baha'i International Community's remarkable and almost entirely overlooked involvement in the history and development of the United Nations.
The first study of the worldwide Baha'i community's engagement in the political sphere
A new way of understanding the relationship between religion and politics, which goes beyond the study of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim organizations and frameworks
Focuses on religious activism through the lens of Baha'i theology, which emerged in the mid-nineteenth century, contemporary with the emergence of the modern international order
Introduces a new methodology for the study of the 'religious' element of RNGO engagement in politics, drawing on religious studies, sociology, political science, and philosophy
Introduction
1. Discerning Organizational Rationale
2. Forging a Global Polity: The Bahá'í International Community on the World Stage
3. Rationale and Engagement: The United Nations through a New Lens (1945-1970)
4. A Question of Authority: Articulating and Actuating the Rationale (1970-1986)
5. Beyond Peace: The Greater Trajectory of Social Development (1986-2008)
6. Rationale and Coherence: Seeking Alignment Between Means and Ends (2008-2015)
7. A Counter-Rationality: Expanded Notions of Religious Polity in the Modern World
Index
Bibliography
In addressing the Baha'i International Community's engagement with the UN, Julia Berger does so much more. She highlights how the fundamental perspectives of this religious NGO (RNGO) shapes its goals, approaches, methodology, and contributions to wider society. This thought provoking and scholarly study is compelling in encouraging us to drop simplistic presumptions about RNGOs and acknowledge the resources from which they draw in contributing to the work of the UN.
A thoughtful, earnest, well-researched look at a little-known phenomenon.
- Title: Rethinking Religion and Politics in a Plural World: The Baha’i International Community and the United Nations
- Author: Julia Berger
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
- Print Publication Date: 2021
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781350130340, 9781350203662, 1350203661, 1350130346
- Resource ID: LLS:9781350130340
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-04-09T04:25:45Z
Julia Berger holds a PhD in Theology and Religious Studies from the University of Kent, UK. She is Adjunct Professor at Montclair State University, USA and serves as Executive Officer of the Association for Baha'i Studies - North America. From 2004-2015, she was Principal Researcher at the Baha'i International Community's United Nations Office.