Sacred Protest:Religion, Power and Resistance in an Era of Upheaval

Analysis of the complex interrelations of religion and protest in contemporary societies draws attention to the ways that pervasive societal anxieties are taken up in religious, interreligious and transreligious discourses. Over the last several years have seen the formation of major social protests the world over. These have included popular protests in dozens of countries, from Asia and Southeast Asia to Africa to Latin America to North America to Europe, and they have led to significant policy backdowns (Iran) and/or governmental crackdown (Hong Kong, Belarus) and even the change or overthrow of governments (Columbia, Bolivia, Peru, Sudan, Algeria, Iraq, Malta). Triggers can be seemingly minor (such as bread prices in Sudan and taxes on whatsapp messages in Lebanon) or sudden and shocking (such as in cases of police brutality). In both cases, protests often then develop along predictable sightlines of economic concern and political debate. Recent protests and counter protests have been surrounded by a deluge of disinformation and conspiracy (for example, surrounding elections or the Covid-19 pandemic). In several cases, inconspicuous beginnings led to society-wide or global debates concerning religion, ethnicity, the stability of democratic institutions, fundamental human rights, and even the future of humanity. Religious contributions and reactions to such upheavals vary widely and can be unpredictable. Across religious traditions, religious communities sometimes engage with social questions citing theological principles of siding with the oppressed or freedom of religion, while at other times this same logic is deemed inapplicable. Some religious leaders remain at a cautious distance from protest movements or even actively side with pro-government suppression, appealing to divine sovereignty, while in other situations religious communities have provided field hospitals, water and food. Religion and protest converge and diverge and in pursuit of various ends, making careful analysis of religion and protest a timely focus of research. This volume brings together a collection of studies on the dynamic interactions between religious ideas, symbols, and practices, on the one hand, and their engagement with protest situations, on the other hand. The chapters feature an interdisciplinary set of perspectives in Interreligious Studies and Theology that focus on religion and protest in both historical and contemporary settings and that use social-scientific, archival, history-of-ideas and systematic-philosophical methodologies. The situations in question engage with Muslim, Christian, Buddhist, and Chinese religious traditions, as well as engaging with new religious movements.