Religious Organizations and Democratization

Tun-Jen Cheng (Edited by) ,  Deborah A. Brown (Edited by)

"Cheng and Brown's book provides the first serious attempt to engage with the religious contribution to democratization in Asia. Successive case studies bring out well the varied response of four religious traditions (Buddhist, Catholic, Muslim and Protestant) to the challenge of democracy, whilst the editors place this collection in a wider theoretical context. Whilst culture matters, the authors successfully demonstrate that any appeal to 'Asian values' in explaining the successes and failures of democratization in Asia should be balanced by careful assessment of precisely what values are being discussed." - John Anderson,"

• Preface; 1. Introduction: The Roles of Religious Organizations in Asian Democratization, Tun-jen Cheng and Deborah A. Brown; 2. The Falun Gong: Religious and Political Implications, Julia Ching; 3. "Buddhism for the Human Realm" and Taiwanese Democracy, Andre Laliberte; 4. New Karma: Buddhism and Democratization in Thailand, David Ambuel; 5. The Presbyterian Church in the Formation of Taiwan's Democratic Society, 1945-2004, Murray A. Rubinstein; 6. Christian Churches and Democratization in South Korea, Hyug Baeg Im; 7. The Limits of Conservative Church Reformism in the Democratic Philippines, Coeli M. Barry; 8. Hong Kong's Catholic Church and the Challenge of Democratization in the SAR, Deborah A. Brown; 9. Islam and Democratic Transition in Indonesia, Greg Barton; 10. Democracy, the "Islamic State," and Embedded Realities in Malaysia, Patricia Martinez; 11. The Soka Gakkai's Critical Role in the Rapidly Changing World of Postwar Japanese Politics, Daniel A. Metraux; About the Editors and Contributors; Index