Securing the Sacred: Religion, National Security, and the Western State (Configurations: Critical Studies of World Politics) - Hardcover

"Framing religion as a national security matter is perilous, as this short but well-argued volume demonstrates... Recommended." --Choice--L. Stan "Choice " "Bosco's Securing the Sacred is the most important book on the politics of secularism to appear since Elizabeth Shakman Hurd's 2008 volume The Politics of Secularism in International Relations. ... Invitingly and lucidly written, the text is accessibly to lay readers and academics alike and will provoke both audiences equally. Robert Bosco's Securing the Sacred should appear on any syllabus covering religion and politics and is enthusiastically recommended for all scholars of religion and international affairs." --- Critical Research on Religion--Ron E Hassner, University of California, Berkeley "Critical Research on Religion " "Invitingly and lucidly written, the text is accessibly to lay readers and academics alike and will provoke both audiences equally. Robert Bosco's Securing the Sacred should appear on any syllabus covering religion and politics and is enthusiastically recommended for all scholars of religion and international affairs." --Critical Research on Religion

Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Western nations have increasingly recognized religion as a consideration in domestic and foreign policy. In Securing the Sacred, an empirical comparison of the securitisation of Islam in Britain, France, and the U.S., Robert M. Bosco argues that religion is not a palpable object but rather a category of phenomena defined by the discourses and politics of both religious and state elites. Despite significant theoretical distinctions between securitisation on the domestic and the international levels, he finds that the outcome of addressing religion within the context of security hinges upon partnerships. Whereas states may harness the power of international allies, they cannot often find analogous domestic allies; therefore, states that attempt to securitise religion at home are more vulnerable to counterattack and more likely to abandon their efforts. Securing the Sacred makes a significant contribution to the fields of political theory, international relations, Islamic studies, and security/military studies.