This book deals with the question of understanding religion and its relationship with politics in the context of developing countries. It reviews specific theories, such as modernisation theory, marxism, liberalism, hermeneutics and critical approach to explain questions related to religion and religious traditions. The book focuses on the recent attempts to theorise religion by Jurgen Habermas. It argues modernisation and orthodox Marxian theory are inadequate in understanding the recent spurt of religious phenomenon in politics. It discusses Hans-Georg Gadamer’s view to show a way forward regarding dialectical hermeneutics in facilitating a dialogue between different traditions and religions. The book is of interest to students, scholars, practitioners of development, and all those who concern themselves with the questions of religion, tradition, modernity and secular well-being in developing countries such as India and beyond.
Table of Content
Chapter 1: Introduction.- Chapter 2: Modernisation, Modernity, Liberalism and Religion.- Chapter 3: Marxian Critique of Religion.- Chapter 4: Early Habermas’s Critique of Gadamer and His Later Approach to Religion.- Chapter 5: The Gadamer-Habermas Debate and its Implication for Religion.- Chapter 6: Post-Secularism, Liberalism and Their Discontents.- Chapter 7: Conclusion.
About the author
Anil Kumar Vaddiraju teaches Political Science at the Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bengaluru, India. He studied in Jawaharlal Nehru University and University of Delhi. Political philosophy is one of his abiding academic interests.
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