Panel

Michael Jerryson
Assistant Professor of Religious Studies
Eckerd College, Florida
jerrysm@eckerd.edu
EuroSEAS Conference, 2010

RELIGIOUS DIMENSIONS TO SOUTHEAST ASIAN CONFLICTS
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There has been a growing interest and work on the relationship between religion and violence in global and international studies. The rise in religious nationalism and violence throughout the world has spurned an outpour of case studies and academic and journalistic analyses. Many of these case studies have focused on the Middle East and religious traditions originating in this area. While there is a burgeoning field of study addressing conflicts in South Asia, there has been only nominal attention given to Southeast Asia. Most often, this attention is directed primarily at Indonesia. What sets Southeast Asia apart from other regions around the world is its vast diversity of religious traditions present within the nation-state. Buddhist, Islamic, and Christian nation-states present throughout Southeast Asia have been involved in a myriad of religious conflicts, which include the traditional religious categories of Christianity and Islam, as well as Buddhism and Hinduism.

This panel will explore the religious dimensions of Southeast Asian conflicts, particularly in Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia. This exploration will provide the necessary comparative context in order to assess the global framework on religion and violence, which until now has been largely focused solely on Islamic and Christian traditions.

Interested Contributors:

Ian Harris: Ian.Harris@cumbria.ac.uk
Juliane Schober: ifjss@email.asu.edu
John T. Sidel: J.T.Sidel@lse.ac.uk
Michael Jerryson: jerrysm@eckerd.edu
Chris Joll: joll@psmail.net