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This course examines the multifaceted relationship between
religion and politics, with a particular focus on the Muslim
world. It explores how religious beliefs, ideologies,
institutions, and movements shape political behavior,
governance, and state-society relations. The course engages
with contemporary debates on secularization, democracy,
authoritarianism, nationalism, social movements, and
conflict, analyzed through both theoretical frameworks and
empirical case studies. The first half of the semester
adopts a comparative perspective on religion and politics
across different regions, religious traditions, and thematic
issues, covering topics such as secularism, nationalism,
state-building, and religion’s role in democratic and
authoritarian settings. The second half shifts focus to
religion and politics in the Muslim World, examining the
historical evolution of political Islam, its interaction
with democracy and authoritarianism, and
contemporary debates on Islamist movements,
governance, and post-Islamism. By combining theoretical
discussions with empirical case studies, the course equips
students with analytical tools to understand the
dynamic interplay between religion and political systems.
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