Religion and Authoritarianism: Cooperation, Conflict, and the Consequences [Paperback]

This book examines the political consequences of growing religiosity in countries where politics are repressive and religious freedoms are in flux.This book examines the political consequences of growing religiosity in countries where politics are repressive and religious freedoms are in flux. The study compares how two authoritarian regimes  Russia and China  manage religion and how religious communities navigate restrictive political environments to pursue their own spiritual and economic interests.This book examines the political consequences of growing religiosity in countries where politics are repressive and religious freedoms are in flux. The study compares how two authoritarian regimes  Russia and China  manage religion and how religious communities navigate restrictive political environments to pursue their own spiritual and economic interests.This book provides a rare window into the micropolitics of contemporary authoritarian rule through a comparison of religious-state relations in Russia and China  two countries with long histories of religious repression, and even longer experiences with authoritarian politics. Drawing on extensive fieldwork in multiple sites in these countries, this book explores what religious and political authority want from one another, how they negotiate the terms of their relationship, and how cooperative or conflicting their interactions are. This comparison reveals that while tensions exist between the two sides, there is also ample room for mutually beneficial interaction. Religious communities and their authoritarian overseers are cooperating around the core issue of politics  namely, the struggle for money, power, and prestige  and becoming unexpected allies in the process.1. Introduction: the politics of religion; 2. Religion and state games; 3. Regulating the religious marketplace; 4. The political economy of religious revival; 5. The politics of faith, power, and prestige; 6. Conclusion: cooperation, conflict, andl“B