International Politics of an Embodied God

Stephen Chan was awarded the OBE by Queen Elizabeth in 2010 – ‘For services to Africa and Higher Education’ – the same year he was awarded the International Studies Association accolade, Eminent Scholar in Global Development. Earlier a newspaper editor and literary publisher, and an international civil servant stationed in Africa, he has held responsible positions – including Deanships – at three British universities; held the George Soros Chair at the Central European University, and the Konrad Adenauer Chair at the elite Palestinian Bir Zeit University, among a string of other named and honorific appointments. He is Professor of World Politics at SOAS University of London, remains seconded to diplomatic engagements in Africa and the Middle East and heads the philanthropic Kwok Meil Wah Foundation. He has published 36 earlier scholarly books, five volumes of poetry, and three novels.

Stephen Chan is a doyen of world politics, a gentle authority who has narrated international relations for decades. The present study connects neatly to this unique legacy, as it is essential reading for everyone interested in the politics of religion.

• Preface: A Meditation on the Book of JobChapter 1. The Religions of the Book: The Embodied God and JudaismChapter 2. The Religions of the Book: The Embodied ChristChapter 3. To Be Embodied or to Be Embalmed?Chapter 4. Quarrels among the Adherents of the Same BookChapter 5. Quarrels Involving Those with No BookChapter 6. The Impossibility of Life Outside the Realm of the BookThe Postscript of PossibilitiesA Problematic Postscript: The God of BloodIndexAbout the Author