Violence and the Sacred in the Modern World

Name: Violence and the Sacred in the Modern World
Brand: Taylor & Francis

Taylor & Francis

How is symbolic violence related to the real acts of religious violence around the modern world? The authors of this book, first published in 1992, explore this question with reference to some of the most volatile religious and political conflicts of the day: Hezbollah in Lebanon, Sikhs in India, militant Jewish groups in Israel, and Muslim movements from the Middle East to Indonesia. In addition to providing valuable insights into these important incidents, the authors \u2013 social scientists and historians of comparative religion \u2013 are responding to the theoretical issues articulated by Ren\u00E9 Girard in Violence and the Sacred (1977). The present volume is the first book of essays to test Girard\u2019s theories about the social significance of religious symbols of violence against real, rather than symbolic, acts. In some cases his theories are found to be applicable; in other cases, the authors provide alternative theories of their own. In a concluding essay, co-authored .