ASIA 330 - Religion, Critical Theory and PoliticsSemester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
(Same as RELI 330 ) Advanced study in selected aspects of religion and contemporary philosophical and political theory. May be taken more than once for credit when content changes.
Topic for 2015/16a: States of Emergency: Religion, Empire, and Sovereignty. In this seminar we explore connections between ostensibly normative, modern, discursive, and universal categories, such as human rights, religion, and various protected freedoms, along with the language of nation-states (constitutional language, legal discourse, etc.), claims to sovereignty, territorialization and the sanctioned violence that goes along with all the above. Though this class is comparative and global in its coverage, we give special attention to China. Some questions we consider include the following: Why do so many nation-state constitutions claim to be secular but enshrine religion as an inalienable human right? Is there really a separation between church and state? Why is sovereignty inherently so violent? Is there a connection between religion and violence? Do human rights in fact do what they claim? Mr. Walsh.
One 2-hour period.
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