Convenor
M. Abdus Sabur
Asian Resource Foundation
Abstract
Historically and contemporaneously, religion has often been invoked as a cause of violent, armed conflict in many regions of the world. But, religion has also often played crucial roles in peacemaking, peace-building and conflict prevention. Interfaith dialogue and cooperation have been important means of maximizing the contribution of religions to peace, justice and development. But such interfaith initiatives have rarely been the subject of scholarly, interdisciplinary study and research.
The discipline anthropology of religion involves the study of religious institutions in relation to other social institutions, and the comparison, across cultures of religious beliefs and practices. As far back as the early 11th century, Abū Rayhān Bīrūnī (973-1048), wrote detailed comparative studies on the anthropology of religions and cultures a focusing on the peoples, customs, and religions of the Indian subcontinent. Modern anthropology assumes that religion is a cultural product, and that it is a phenomenon of psychological projection: a methodological approach which assumes that every religion is created by the human community that worships it. In short, “religion is sociy worshiping itself”. Today; the anthropology of religion reflects the influence of, or an engagement with, such theorists as Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Émile Durkheim, and Max Weber who are especially concerned with how religious beliefs and practices may reflect political or economic forces; or the social functions of religious beliefs and practices.
In Western culture, religion has become synonymous with monotheism and the various moral codes that monotheism prescribes. The monotheistic approach breeds a sense in the superiority of one’s religious beliefs and prompts the imposition of monotheistic codes through conversion, and religious “crusades” which, all too often turn violent and result in prolonged armed conflict. Moral codes have also evolved, independent of monotheism, in conjunction with Hindu and Buddhist beliefs which accept religious diversity and a pluralism of beliefs. Such interfaith approach promotes mutual understanding, tolerance of diversity and pluralistic coexistence which promote peace, stability, justice and sustainable human development.
This panel will review and discuss existing research in the field of anthropology of religions with a view to identifying which types of religious practices contribute to violent and prolonged violent, armed conflict and which types of religious practices promote peace, stability, justice and sustainable human development. The panel seeks to encourage scholarly interdisciplinary study and research of past and present interfaith initiatives of dialogue and cooperation in the Asian region — the venue of this IAUES Congress.