Concordia Course Web Sites

PSYC 428/03 (Winter 2025): SOCIAL & CULT ADV ISSUES

PSYC 444/01 (Fall 2025): HYPNOSIS AND DISSOCIATION

RELI 312/A (Winter 2025): JUSTICE & SOCIAL CONFLICT

RELI 6007/A (Fall 2025): REGIONAL & INTERCULTURAL STUDIES: RELIGION AND POLITICS IN ASIA

Abstract

This seminar is designed to explore the relationships (historical, socio-cultural, economics, and others) between religion and politics. It consists in exploratory readings and discussions on different themes such as institutionalization, sponsorship, contestation, rulership, law, class, and others. The goal is to examine the various aspects of human endeavours and see how religion, beliefs, and religious practices shape and modify group and individual behaviors. What are the functions of religion in society? What are political power and religious power? What are their modus operandi? How does religion negotiate with politics? Which one of these dominates? How? When? And why? The class will consist in discussion of key readings together with students’ presentations on their own research, together with critical presentation of some readings and responses.

This particular course is designed to explore the two models of governance that dominate Asia since at least the turn of the first millennium.

Rationale

The objective of this course is to examine the Confucian model and the Indian Dharmasastra models that were exported respectively to Japan, Vietnam and Korea (China), and to Burma, Thailand, Cambodia (Kmer), and Indonesia from India. Our goal is to make the student familiar with the cultural background which provided the ideological and administrative basis supporting the creation of some pre-modern Asian polities. Many of these longstanding attitudes continue to be sustained with regard to ‘religion’ which does not recognizes the post-modern ways of Western paradigm and concepts. The relationship between state and supported religious institutions (such as state cults, Buddhism, and Indian Saivism for instance) versus religious movements that actively opposed established governments or other competing politically motivated religious groups (Catholic Christianity in China, Sunni Islam in Indonesia, Buddhist reactionary movements in Burma, and fundamentalist Hinduism in India). Although the areas covered is rather wide and diverse, this course will serve to further research based on different regions of Asia. Regions and time periods will vary according to the instructor’s speciality.

Format

This class is for upper undergraduates and graduate students. Therefore, it follows the seminar format where students will actively engage in research and critical appraisals of the readings, and in-class discussions. Each student will engage in research on one's field of inquiry (ex.: political ideology; religion and sponsorships; theology and political debates; divine right to rule; institutionalisation of religion; political models and ideological/theological/religious worldviews, etc.). During this class, students will complete set tasks relating to their research paper (ex.: topic; provisionary title; abstract; bibliography; methodology, etc.) and will participate in the discussions on the readings and in-class presentations. Participation is mandatory. No usage of AI is allowed in the writings of research papers, bibliographies, critical reports, and other assignments.