Religion, Identity and Human Security

Giorgio Shani is the Director of the Social Science Research Institute and a Senior Associate Professor of Politics and International Relations at International Christian University, Japan.

• Introduction: Religion, Identity and SecurityPart I: Reconceptualizing Human Security in a Post-Global Age 1. Globalization and Identity After the Financial Crisis 2. Globalization, Religion and Violence 3. Reconceptualizing Security: Towards a Critical Human Security Paradigm Part II: Sites of Human Insecurity 4.De/Securitizing ‘Religious’ Symbols 5. The Retreat from Multiculturalism 6. The rise of exclusivist ethno-religious identities post- 9/11 7. State religion, colonization and the ‘racialization’ of migration 8. Conclusion

'Through an erudite analysis of recent debates about the veil in France, ethno-religious tensions in South Asia, and ethno-nationalism in Japan, Giorgio Shani defends a ‘post-secular’ approach to human security that openly embraces cultural diversity and religious difference. This lucid and wide-ranging book will interest students of globalisation, identity politics, post-colonialism, and critical security studies.' - Andrew Linklater, Aberystwyth University, UK.'This excellent book is not only an original contribution to critical human security studies, but more broadly, an outstanding remapping of postsecular thinking in International Relations.' - Mustapha Kamal Pasha, Aberystwyth University, UK.'Resistance to an increasingly globalized mass society is now accompanied by an almost desperate search for community and a less-than-gracious retreat from the Enlightenment-based multiculturalism. The aggressive, often violent affirmation of religious identities comes as part of this package. In a marvelous intervention in the debate on the agenda of peace studies, Giorgio Shani argues that human security now poses an altogether different kind of challenge.' - Ashis Nandy, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, India