Author Archives: Ricardo M. Barrera

Section Journal Article

Promoting Critical Islam: Controversy, Civil Society, Revolution

Nicholas Tampio 

Fordham University

Abstract

Critical Islam is an intellectual orientation that prizes timeliness and broad-mindedness and a political sensibility that tends to honor majority rule, minority rights, and the good of pluralism. This essay considers how an important European Muslim scholar, Tariq Ramadan, promotes critical Islam in his call for a moratorium on stoning, his argument for the reformation of fatwa committees, and his analysis of the Arab Awakening. The essay argues that the art of controversy and the building of civil society—more so than political revolution—can cultivate a critical sensibility among Muslim scholars and publics.

via journals.cambridge.org

Aaron Wildavsky Award – Deadline Extended

Dear colleagues,

A gentle reminder to send us your best dissertations for consideration for APSA's Aaron Wildavsky Award, that recognizes the best dissertation on religion and politics successfully defended within the last two years (2011/2012). Please send submissions by June 10 2013 (pdf copy of the dissertation itself) to the chair of the Wildavsky committee, Sultan Tepe, at: sultant@uic.edu. 

Best regards,

Iza Hussin
Department of Political Science
University of Chicago
Chair, Religion and Politics Section, APSA

The Politics of New Atheism – Section Journal Article

Abstract: This article discusses the political implications of the new atheism movement that has been popularized by writers such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Harris. New atheism is largely defined by its political goals, yet it has received relatively little attention from political theorists. To the extent that scholars have commented on new atheists' political thought, they have generally misinterpreted it and presented it as being intolerant. This article will argue that new atheists' attack on religion is largely motivated by their desire to defend a liberal view of politics and liberal values.

Great stuff at the Midwest conference for R&P scholars – be there!

Hello Iza:

I'm a member of the R&P organized section with APSA and I'll be attending the Midwest this weekend. I have assembled what I think it an interesting panel/roundtable on the impact of religion in the 2012 elections.

I was hoping maybe to publicize our roundtable, which features data used by the Public Religion Research Institute as well as the president of PRRI, to folks in the religion and politics world in hopes of boosting audience participation. Is there a list serv of some sort that I could have access to do to this?

Thanks!

Melissa

Dr. Melissa Deckman
Chair and Professor of Political Science
Louis L. Goldstein Professor of Public Affairs
Washington College

In the APSA Journals (March/April 2012)

Islam and Exceptionalism in American Political Discourse
Religion, Class Coalitions, and Welfare States. Edited by Kees van Kersbergen and Philip Manow. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009. 318p. $93.00 cloth, $27.99 paper.