- Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
John A Rees
University of Technology Sydney, Graduate Research School, Department Member
- John A. Rees, PhD (UNSW) is Director of Research Development and Training at the Graduate Research School, University... moreJohn A. Rees, PhD (UNSW) is Director of Research Development and Training at the Graduate Research School, University of Technology Sydney (UTS). He was formerly the Milward L. Simpson Visiting Fulbright Professor at the University of Wyoming and Professor of International Relations at The University of Notre Dame Australia.
John is an office holder for the International Political Science Association and formerly of the American Academy of Religion. He is a recognised scholar in the international relations discourse on culture and religion, with intersecting publications in the cognate fields of nationalism and national security studies. His research now sits at the intersection of two investigations: universities as stakeholders in multicultural polities and multi-faith societies; and notions of the sacred (broadly conceived) in the formations of national identity.edit
This article constructs a three-stage integrative framework to analyse relations between nationalism, populism, and religion. First, following the work of A.D. Smith, nationalism is interpreted as a complex phenomenon with the capacity to... more
This article constructs a three-stage integrative framework to analyse relations between nationalism, populism, and religion. First, following the work of A.D. Smith, nationalism is interpreted as a complex phenomenon with the capacity to accommodate multiple religious forms. Second, productive comparisons are drawn between the ‘sacred properties of the nation’ as defined by Smith with elements of the ‘populist core’ proposed by the scholar of ideology M. Freeden. Third, situating these comparisons within arguments by S.W. Hibbard on the dynamics of religion and politics, connections between religion and populism are partly framed as ‘intra-communal’ contests over competing ideologies of the nation. The article concludes with preliminary analyses of religion and populism in Europe and the United States, highlighting the value of integrative methods to analyse the dynamics of religio-populism in western contexts of nationalism.
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‘An outstanding volume that brings together leading scholars from across different regions of the world providing a truly global perspective. An indispensable introduction for students and anyone keen to understand the complex... more
‘An outstanding volume that brings together leading scholars from across different regions of the world providing a truly global perspective. An indispensable introduction for students and anyone keen to understand the complex entanglements between religion and global politics in the 21st century.’
– Gregorio Bettiza, University of Exeter, UK
– Gregorio Bettiza, University of Exeter, UK
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In the contemporary flow of irregular migrants worldwide, the predicaments of humanitarian work have become a source of public controversy and political disputation. Situated in the discourse of religion in international relations (IR),... more
In the contemporary flow of irregular migrants worldwide, the predicaments of humanitarian work have become a source of public controversy and political disputation. Situated in the discourse of religion in international relations (IR), this introductory article considers conduct available to religious actors in response to the humanitarian challenge. Drawing on the case of refugees reaching the Italian territory of Lampedusa, the article offers a consideration of Pope Francis' visit to the island in 2013 via two interpretive modes of IR postsecularism. This approach, we argue, highlights the value of postsecular IR frameworks to interpret different dimensions of religious agency and to understand the unique resources available to religious actors in humanitarian advocacy.
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This article frames religion as a contested category in the study of political practice and serves as an introduction to a special issue of the JRPP that interrogates the politics of religious freedom in contexts of the Asia-Pacific.... more
This article frames religion as a contested category in the study of political practice and serves as an introduction to a special issue of the JRPP that interrogates the politics of religious freedom in contexts of the Asia-Pacific. Mavelli and Petito’s depiction of two modes of postsecularism (2012) – summarised as the mode of religious resilience and the mode of radical critique – allows further consideration of contrasting assumptions shaping current debates about religion and
politics. We suggest that the recent and influential scholarship of Elizabeth Shakman Hurd can be aligned with the mode of radical critique, noting the influence of Beyond Religious Freedom (2015) as establishing a platform for further critical studies of the political use of religion in diverse global contexts. New essays drawn from settings across the Asia-Pacific – Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Australia, United States,East Asia – are situated within this broader discourse and in
conversation with Hurd’s work. In addition, the inclusion of perspectives that instantiate the mode of religious resilience reestablish the interlocution between the two modes of postsecularism and the contested nature of religion as a category of political practice research.
politics. We suggest that the recent and influential scholarship of Elizabeth Shakman Hurd can be aligned with the mode of radical critique, noting the influence of Beyond Religious Freedom (2015) as establishing a platform for further critical studies of the political use of religion in diverse global contexts. New essays drawn from settings across the Asia-Pacific – Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Australia, United States,East Asia – are situated within this broader discourse and in
conversation with Hurd’s work. In addition, the inclusion of perspectives that instantiate the mode of religious resilience reestablish the interlocution between the two modes of postsecularism and the contested nature of religion as a category of political practice research.
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Pope Francis’ encyclical on environmental justice, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home (LS), has been received as a ground-breaking work not dissimilar to Leo XIII’s prismatic statement on labour justice, Rerum Novarum (1891).... more
Pope Francis’ encyclical on environmental justice, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home (LS), has been received as a ground-breaking work not dissimilar to Leo XIII’s prismatic statement on labour justice, Rerum Novarum (1891). Promoting what some perceive to be new understandings – such as of progress being integral to ecological concerns (LS 194) and the call to establish a dialogue involving all of humanity (LS 14) – it is equally noted that LS was not devised ex nihilo but evidences strong continuity with teachings of previous pontiffs including Francis' immediate predecessors (LS 5, 6), sits squarely within the tradition of Catholic Social Teaching, and has a positive engagement (notably with environmental science) reflective of Paul VI’s turn toward the modern world in Gaudium et spes (1965). Whilst each point of newness and continuity so described are relevant to the collection of essays published in this special issue of Philippiniana Sacra, I wish to briefly introduce the edition in the context of two components of Catholic social teaching: ‘subsidiarity’ and the ‘common good’.
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Religion and culture seem like complex ideas to study from the perspective of International Relations. After all, scholars and philosophers have long debated the meaning of these terms and the impact they have had on our comprehension of... more
Religion and culture seem like complex ideas to study from the perspective of International Relations. After all, scholars and philosophers have long debated the meaning of these terms and the impact they have had on our comprehension of the social world around us. So is it an impossibly complicated task to study religion and culture at the global level? Fortunately, the answer is ‘no’, for we can recognise and respect complexity without being confused about what we mean by each term. In this chapter, which completes the first section of the book, we will explore why thinking about religious and cultural factors in global affairs is as integral as the other issues we have covered thus far.
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This article uses the World Bank's engagement with religious actors to analyse their differentiated role in setting the development agenda raising three key issues. First, engagements between international financial institutions (IFIs)... more
This article uses the World Bank's engagement with religious actors to analyse their differentiated role in setting the development agenda raising three key issues. First, engagements between international financial institutions (IFIs) and religious actors are formalised thus excluding many of the actors embedded within communities in the South. Secondly, the varied politics of religious actors in development are rarely articulated and a single position is often presented. Thirdly, the potential for development alternatives from religious actors excluded from these engagements is overlooked, due in part to misrecognition of the mutually constitutive relationship between secular and sacral elements in local contexts.
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There are numerous and significant points at which one could engage the arguments presented in Beyond Religious Freedom (BRF), a testament to the rapidly growing status of one of the most challenging and important contributions to the... more
There are numerous and significant points at which one could engage the arguments presented in Beyond Religious Freedom (BRF), a testament to the rapidly growing status of one of the most challenging and important contributions to the study of religion and global politics in recent years. I shall do so by situating BRF as a type of analysis, within this categorization suggest the significance of Elizabeth Shakman Hurd’s thesis to the study of religion in international relations (IR), and raise the possibility of an alternative trajectory one could take related to religion and the policy process.
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Religion was once discounted as a primary factor in the strategic thinking of states. To be sure, religious traditions did influence the cultural interpretation of ‘national interest’ in many contexts (in this, and other important ways,... more
Religion was once discounted as a primary factor in the strategic thinking of states. To be sure, religious traditions did influence the cultural interpretation of ‘national interest’ in many contexts (in this, and other important ways, religion has been a constant in international politics) but only on rare occasions were faith traditions consciously deployed as the drivers of state policy. The main priorities were instead ideological, as state actors measured success against military and economic capabilities in the service of one prevailing political vision or another. Such priorities clearly remain, yet analysts of foreign policy increasingly understand traditional state motivations interacting with religio-cultural elements now considered to be as important as they are enduring. These changes in foreign policy reflect what some scholars see as a larger ‘postsecular turn’ in IR. In this context, the present chapter enters an important debate on current state approaches towards religion and sketches an alternative policy framework that incorporates the nuances of religion at play in the international sphere.
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ABSTRACT Religion research in international relations (IR) has grown exponentially, but has it extended an understanding of religious agency beyond the assumptions of secularism? This article suggests the orientation towards religion in... more
ABSTRACT Religion research in international relations (IR) has grown exponentially, but has it extended an understanding of religious agency beyond the assumptions of secularism? This
article suggests the orientation towards religion in IR is now best described as ‘postsecular’ and employs a linguistic analogy to offer a three-fold argument. First, the study of religion in
IR has shifted from a focus on morphology (i.e. the definitional forms of religion) to syntax (i.e. the political functions of religion). Second, by likening the dynamics of IR to the syntax
of a sentence, the impacts of religion can be measured by linking religious actors and interests to different word-functions that make up the sentence. This is modelled by comparing the functions of religion in IR against the four noun cases of classical grammar. Third, applying
the model highlights the constraint of secular ‘readings’ of the political by illustrating how religion can be sustained throughout the full ‘syntactical range’ of IR, thereby presenting a postsecular ‘reading’ of religion in the discourse of international affairs.
article suggests the orientation towards religion in IR is now best described as ‘postsecular’ and employs a linguistic analogy to offer a three-fold argument. First, the study of religion in
IR has shifted from a focus on morphology (i.e. the definitional forms of religion) to syntax (i.e. the political functions of religion). Second, by likening the dynamics of IR to the syntax
of a sentence, the impacts of religion can be measured by linking religious actors and interests to different word-functions that make up the sentence. This is modelled by comparing the functions of religion in IR against the four noun cases of classical grammar. Third, applying
the model highlights the constraint of secular ‘readings’ of the political by illustrating how religion can be sustained throughout the full ‘syntactical range’ of IR, thereby presenting a postsecular ‘reading’ of religion in the discourse of international affairs.
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This chapter considers the issue of religion and development via the growing relations between religious groups and international financial institutions (IFIs). Specifically, the chapter analyses the World Bank's engagement with faith... more
This chapter considers the issue of religion and development via the growing relations between religious groups and international financial institutions (IFIs). Specifically, the chapter analyses the World Bank's engagement with faith institutions and communities.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
An impressive, timely compilation of some of the best writings on religion and foreign affairs. Hoover and Johnston provide a critical overview and a helpful division of the articles into key issues areas, including secularization,... more
An impressive, timely compilation of some of the best writings on religion and foreign affairs. Hoover and Johnston provide a critical overview and a helpful division of the articles into key issues areas, including secularization, democracy, conflict, development, human rights, globalization and peacemaking. Students and teachers of religion and global politics will find the volume immensely valuable as a unified source for grappling with the complexities of this topic.
~Monica Duffy Toft, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Director, Initiative on Religion in International Affairs, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
~Monica Duffy Toft, Associate Professor of Public Policy and Director, Initiative on Religion in International Affairs, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
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'This unique and fascinating book illustrates that in moving the research agenda forward – despite whatever methodological pitfalls that may await in the attempt – the dynamics of religion must now be considered to be of central and... more
'This unique and fascinating book illustrates that in moving the research agenda forward – despite whatever methodological pitfalls that may await in the attempt – the dynamics of religion must now be considered to be of central and abiding importance in the study of world politics.'
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Contemporary Challenges to Australian Security provides an introductory overview of the key conceptual, theoretical, empirical and policy issues central to critical security study debate. This text provides a practical real-world overview... more
Contemporary Challenges to Australian Security provides an introductory overview of the key conceptual, theoretical, empirical and policy issues central to critical security study debate. This text provides a practical real-world overview of the various elements that together constitute ‘Australian security’. Through the use of primary source materials this book invites the reader to assess the changing nature of Australian security in the context of the increasingly fluid, complex and dynamic nature of Asia–Pacific and global politics.
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Cite: Rees, J. A. (2021). Massimo Faggioli, The Liminal Papacy of Pope Francis: Moving toward Global Catholicity. Journal for the Academic Study of Religion, 33(4). https://doi.org/10.1558/jasr.19817 Book: Massimo Faggioli, The Liminal... more
Cite:
Rees, J. A. (2021). Massimo Faggioli, The Liminal Papacy of Pope Francis: Moving toward Global Catholicity. Journal for the Academic Study of Religion, 33(4). https://doi.org/10.1558/jasr.19817
Book:
Massimo Faggioli, The Liminal Papacy of Pope Francis: Moving toward Global Catholicity. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2020, pp. 205,
ISBN-13: 978-1626983687 (pbk). US$27.00.
Rees, J. A. (2021). Massimo Faggioli, The Liminal Papacy of Pope Francis: Moving toward Global Catholicity. Journal for the Academic Study of Religion, 33(4). https://doi.org/10.1558/jasr.19817
Book:
Massimo Faggioli, The Liminal Papacy of Pope Francis: Moving toward Global Catholicity. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2020, pp. 205,
ISBN-13: 978-1626983687 (pbk). US$27.00.