Religion and Politics

About

Today, religion regularly impacts upon politics both in Europe and elsewhere. While religion's precise influence or impact differs from country to country and international context to international context, it is often politically significant in one of two ways: encouraging, or helping to resolve, political conflicts. This is because religion has important functions serving to engender and/or significantly influence people's and group values. In sum, fully to understand many current political outcomes both within countries and internationally, it is crucial to take into account the variable effects of religious actors in many political contexts, including: conflict, democracy, and international relations.

Aims & Objectives

Reflecting these general concerns, the Standing Group exists to encourage the development of a network of interested researchers. The key aim is to try to answer questions about the political impact of religious actors and to disseminate research findings. A crucial way to achieve these objectives is to submit regular proposals for relevant Sections, Panels and Workshops at both the ECPR Joint Sessions and General Conferences. The Convenor of the Standing Group has directed numerous Workshops at the Joint Sessions, and Sections at General Conferences.

Activities

Following its formation, the Standing Group's initial activities concentrated on building a network of interested researchers and identifying key research questions. The membership list has grown steadily since then and now stands at over 200 people in Europe and the rest of the world. Thrice-yearly newsletters are circulated in March, July and November.