Paths of Research in Religion and Politics: An Introduction

Religion plays an important role in contemporary politics, both as a public and political actor, and as set of values. As a public actor, religion – embodied in organizations, institutions, groups, and associations (Haynes 1997) – widely participates in the political spheres of European countries. Religious authorities express their opinion on political matters, religious groups organize in the civil society, religious entrepreneurs try to mobilize people and start political campaigns. Among the most recent examples, we find the participation of religious groups to the protests against the legalization of same-sex marriage in France, the commitment of religious associations towards the increasing poverty in the aftermaths of the economic crisis in various countries, or the strong relationships and tensions between religion and politics in Russia, as shown by the “Pussy Riot” case, for which the Patriarch Kirill I asked an “exemplar punishment”, and the persecution against homosexuals. At the same time, both European and non-European societies are experiencing a profound reshaping of their political landscapes. In these contexts, it has become clear that new modes of governance redraw the boundaries between institutional actors and citizens, and create space for horizontal and/or transnational networks.