Religious Leaders and Conflict Transformation Northern Ireland and Beyond [Hardcover]

The book introduces a theoretical framework to understand the role of religious leaders in conflict transformation and peacebuilding.With the rise of religious conflicts and fundamentalisms worldwide, there is an increasing demand for resources that bridge religion and conflict resolution. Sandal's book on religious leaders and conflict resolution introduces a novel way of looking at religious expertise in divided societies.With the rise of religious conflicts and fundamentalisms worldwide, there is an increasing demand for resources that bridge religion and conflict resolution. Sandal's book on religious leaders and conflict resolution introduces a novel way of looking at religious expertise in divided societies.Religious dimension of contemporary conflicts and the rise of faith-based movements worldwide require policymakers to identify the channels through which religious leaders can play a constructive role. While religious fundamentalisms are in the news every day, we do not hear about the potential and actual role of religious actors in creating a peaceful and just society. Countering this trend, Sandal draws attention to how religious actors helped prepare the ground for stabilizing political initiatives, ranging from abolition of apartheid (South Africa), to the signing of the Lome Peace Agreement (Sierra Leone). Taking Northern Ireland as a basis and using declarations and speeches of more than forty years, this book builds a new perspective that recognizes the religious actors' agency, showing how religious actors can have an impact on public opinion and policymaking in today's world.Acknowledgements; 1. Religious actors and conflict transformation: theory and practice; 2. Situating religious actors in Irish history; 3. Churches in 'troubles': leaders, institutions and political involvement; 4. From diagnosis to treatment: devising an inclusive public theology of citizenship; 5. Public theology of inclusive governance: peace deals and political agreements; lS)