Religion and Progressive Activism

Ruth Braunstein

ISBN 10: 147985476X / ISBN 13: 9781479854769

Published by New York University Press, US, 2017

About this Item

New stories about religiously motivated progressive activism challenge common understandings of the American political landscape. To many mainstream-media saturated Americans, the terms "progressive" and "religious" may not seem to go hand-in-hand. As religion is usually tied to conservatism, an important way in which religion and politics intersect is being overlooked. Religion and Progressive Activism focuses on this significant intersection, revealing that progressive religious activists are a driving force in American public life, involved in almost every political issue or area of public concern. This volume brings together leading experts who dissect and analyze the inner worlds and public strategies of progressive religious activists from the local to the transnational level. It provides insight into documented trends, reviews overlooked case studies, and assesses the varied ways in which progressive religion forces us to deconstruct common political binaries such as right/left and progress/tradition. In a coherent and accessible way, this book engages and rethinks long accepted theories of religion, of social movements, and of the role of faith in democratic politics and civic life. Moreover, by challenging common perceptions of religiously motivated activism, it offers a more grounded and nuanced understanding of religion and the American political landscape.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781479854769

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Religion and Progressive Activism
• Publisher: New York University Press, US
• Publication Date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 147985476X
• ISBN 13: 9781479854769
• Binding: Hardback
• Condition: New
• Weight: 726 grams

About this title

Synopsis

New stories about religiously motivated progressive activism challenge common understandings of the American political landscape.

To many mainstream-media saturated Americans, the terms “progressive” and “religious” may not seem to go hand-in-hand. As religion is usually tied to conservatism, an important way in which religion and politics intersect is being overlooked. Religion and Progressive Activism focuses on this significant intersection, revealing that progressive religious activists are a driving force in American public life, involved in almost every political issue or area of public concern.

This volume brings together leading experts who dissect and analyze the inner worlds and public strategies of progressive religious activists from the local to the transnational level. It provides insight into documented trends, reviews overlooked case studies, and assesses the varied ways in which progressive religion forces us to deconstruct common political binaries such as right/left and progress/tradition.

In a coherent and accessible way, this book engages and rethinks long accepted theories of religion, of social movements, and of the role of faith in democratic politics and civic life. Moreover, by challenging common perceptions of religiously motivated activism, it offers a more grounded and nuanced understanding of religion and the American political landscape.

About the Authors

Ruth Braunstein is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Connecticut and Director of the Meanings of Democracy Lab. She is the author of Prophets and Patriots: Faith in Democracy Across the Political Divide and coeditor of our Religion and Progressive Activism: New Stories About Faith and Politics.

Todd Nicholas Fuist is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Illinois Wesleyan University. His research interests include religion, politics, identity, and sexuality, with a focus on how culture serves to motivate socio-moral action. His work has been published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Critical Research on Religion, and Social Movement Studies.

Rhys Williams is Professor of Sociology and Department Chair Director of the McNamara Center for the Social Study of Religion at Loyola University Chicago. He is coauthor or editor of three books, including Civil Religion Today: Religion and the American Nation in the Twenty-First Century (NYU Press, 2021), The Urban Church Imagined: Religion, Race, and Authenticity in the City (New York University Press, 2017) and Religion and Progressive Activism: New Stories about Faith and Politics (New York University Press, 2017).