Religion and soft power in the South Caucasus

Jödicke, Ansgar

doi:10.4324/9781315206721-1

Cited by 6 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 1 publication

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The same phenomenon can be observed even more clearly in Georgia (Jödicke 2015;Köksal et al 2019) (Figure 2). According to Stolz et al (2023), the religious revival began slowly around 1985 and gained momentum in 1990.…”

Section: Crisissupporting

confidence: 72%

Explaining Religious Revival in the Context of Long-Term Secularization

Stolz

Voas

2023

Religions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Secularization theory has often been criticized for not being able to explain counterexamples. However, secularization theorists argue that transitory religious resurgences are expected to occur even in modernizing conditions. The aim of this article is to identify mechanisms that can explain the temporary upswing of religion against the backdrop of long-term modernization. We classify the mechanisms under five broad headings: crisis, reaction, transition, state intervention, and composition. Historical examples are provided to illustrate these mechanisms. The mechanisms are not mutually exclusive and can be understood within the framework of rational action.

show abstract

Section: Crisissupporting

confidence: 72%

Explaining Religious Revival in the Context of Long-Term Secularization

Stolz

Voas

2023

Religions

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Köse et al (2016) assessed the soft power of Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia among Middle Eastern populations; Ciftci and Tezcür (2016) conducted a similar analysis on the soft power of these states among Egyptians and Iranians; Al-Filali and Gallarotti (2012) focused on the soft power of Saudi Arabia; Roberts (2019) reflected on Qatar's "Islamic soft power." In Jödicke's (2017) edited book the religious soft power influences of Russia, Turkey, Iran, and the European Union in the Caucasus were further investigated; Solik and Baar (2019) have argued that Russia uses the soft power of the Orthodox Church to maintain its influence in the post-Soviet area; Henne (2019) argued that although commonly neglected, the United States has a religious soft power that is "persisted and even expanded"; Ozturk (2021) shed light on the many ways Turkey uses religion in its foreign policy including in the form of soft power; and Ganguly (2020) investigated India's use of religious soft power in its diplomatic relations.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

A spiritual call: the courses of action taken by individuals influenced by religious soft power

Ziv

2024

Politics and Religion

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The study of religion and international relations has achieved renewed attention in the last two decades. This study investigates a specific aspect of this field: religious soft power. It focuses on individuals who were affected by religious soft power and develop a typology of courses of action these individuals can take vis-à-vis their home state. I argue that individuals can take three different types of actions: disruptive, reformative, and transnational. Using the cases of the Catholic Church and its followers, ISIS and Sunni believers, and the relations between Israel and the Evangelicals, I assess how these alternative actions are being manifested by different groups of individuals. Lastly, I offer an answer to the question of when individuals would use disruptive action and when will they use reformative one.

show abstract

“…This paper investigates one of the most significant of such possible Orthodox counterexamples to secularization theory: Georgia, a former Communist Orthodox country in Eastern Europe (with small Muslim, Armenian-Apostolic, and Catholic minorities). This South-Caucasian nation has witnessed one of the most striking religious resurgences worldwide (Jödicke, 2015;Köksal et al, 2019). This leads to our three key questions: (1) When did the Georgian religious revival happen, and what form did it take?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A counterexample to secularization theory? Assessing the Georgian religious revival

Stolz

Gugushvili

Molteni

et al. 2023

British Journal of Sociology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Secularization theory allows for transitory religious revivals under certain conditions, such as extreme societal crises or state weakness. The country of Georgia has witnessed the largest religious revival of Orthodox countries and one of the most striking religious resurgences worldwide. This paper gives both a statistical and historical description of this revival and asks whether it is a counterexample to secularization theory. We show that the main thrust of the religious revival in Georgia lasted 25 years and seized the entire society in what was mainly a period effect. The most significant cause for the revival was a major societal and economic crisis starting in 1985 combined with a very weak state, creating massive individual insecurity. In these circumstances, the Georgian Orthodox Church was able to provide identity for individuals and legitimacy for governments. Other possible causes of the revival—state funding, too rapid modernization, or emigration—can be excluded as primary drivers of the process. The Georgian case shows a situation in which secularization theory expects transitory revivals and is thus not a counterexample.

show abstract

Religion and soft power in the South Caucasus

Cited by 6 publications

References 1 publication

Explaining Religious Revival in the Context of Long-Term Secularization

Explaining Religious Revival in the Context of Long-Term Secularization

A spiritual call: the courses of action taken by individuals influenced by religious soft power

A counterexample to secularization theory? Assessing the Georgian religious revival

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About