Religion in the Military Worldwide

Ron E. Hassner is an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the co-director of Berkeley's Religion, Politics and Globalization Program and the founder and first chair of the International Studies Association's section on Religion and International Relations. His first book, War on Sacred Grounds (2009), examines the causes and characteristics of disputes over sacred places around the globe and analyzes the conditions under which these conflicts can be managed. He has also published on the topic of religion and conflict in International Security, Security Studies, Civil Wars, International Studies Quarterly, Terrorism and Political Violence, and others. He has contributed chapters on similar themes to several edited volumes.

• Introduction: 1. Religion in the military: challenges and opportunities Ron E. Hassner; Part I. Rituals, Beliefs, and Practices: 2. Japan Aaron Skabelund and Akito Ishikawa; 3. Canada Joanne Benham Rennick; 4. United Kingdom Victor Dobbin and Stephen Deakin; Part II. Religious Demographics in the Armed Forces: 5. Pakistan C. Christine Fair; 6. Israel Stuart A. Cohen; Part III. Religion and Military Operations: 7. Iran Mahsa Rouhi; 8. India Amit Ahuja; Part IV. Constitutional Challenges: 9. United States Martin L. Cook; 10. United States Pauletta Otis; 11. Turkey Ayşegül Komsuoğlu and Gül Kurtoğlu Eşkisar; Conclusion: 12. Promising themes, future approaches Eric Patterson.

'The purpose of Religion [in] the Military Worldwide is clear and important: to consider the role and effect of religion on military service from a broader perspective than has usually been the case. This goal entails a 'thick religion' approach to the study of religion and politics: considering theology, religious organization (hierarchy), symbol (iconography), and ceremony and belief (knowledge). The chapters in this book present a complex tapestry that shows positive, negative, and neutral effects of religion on the military.' Donald Downs, Alexander Meiklejohn Professor of Political Science, Law, and Journalism, University of Wisconsin, Madison