Studies in Culture, Religion, and Society – serie

This volume of essays affirms the continuing value of comparative work within theology and biblical studies. It explores the points of convergence and divergence between creation narratives in the Christian tradition and Indigenous and Native cultures. The authors write from within their respective cultures and contexts, including North America, the Caribbean, India, South and East Asia, Oceania, and Africa. Together, they complicate expectations of how non-Western scholars engage with their subject, demonstrating emic strategies that deepen our understanding through perspectives that are grounded in particular times and places.

Sacred Cultures in Global Politics examines how religious and cultural rhetoric functions as a tool of political power, drawing on cases in ten countries across six continents. In twenty chapters organized around the themes of Indigeneity, Identity, and Inclusivity, the contributors trace how political actors leverage shared belief systems to legitimize movements, shape institutions, and mobilize constituencies. They also show how sacred discourse can be used to elevate the ancient into the modern and the marginal into the mainstream, in order to unify or fracture, to serve public interests or advance partisan agendas. Together, these chapters illuminate contemporary religious polemics that shape today’s institutions, movements, and public policy.