Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis is a publication series published by the Donner Institute for research in Religious and Cultural History in Åbo, Finland. The aim of the institute, which is attached to the Foundation of Åbo Akademi University, is to conduct and promote scholarly research in the field of religion.
Vol. 19 (2006): Exercising Power: The Role of Religions in Concord and Conflict
The current volume is based on papers presented at the conference by the same name, arranged by the Finnish Society for the Study of Religion (SUS) together with the European Association for the Study of Religion (EASR) in Turku/Åbo in 2005. Most of the articles deal with notion of power in relation to external conflicts – political, ethnical and often violent clashes where religious aspects are involved. The notion of authority in relation to power is also discussed by several authors. It is worth noting that 'concord' seemed to draw much less attention than “conflict” at the conference, perhaps due to the reigning circumstances in the world at large.
The themes of the articles span most continents and religious traditions, from Israel to Costa Rica and from Rwanda to Iraq. The articles offer several examples of ritual and rhetoric violence but also analyses of dialogue efforts, issues of gender and sexuality as well as ecology and identity politics.
Published:
2006-01-01
