-
Amid a polarized political climate in the United States, Americans’ were interested to see what would happen in the 2018 midterm elections. This event considered the many factors mobilizing citizens to cast their ballots, particularly in regard to religion, asking: what role did—or didn’t—religion play in influencing voters during the midterm elections? And how might…
-
In the Name of Belief (Atas Nama Percaya) explores the struggle of adherents of spiritual beliefs (kepercayaan) and indigenous religions (agama leluhur) in contemporary Indonesia in the aftermath of the 2017 Constitutional Court ruling on faith traditions not fully recognized by the state. The film narrates the general story of Indonesian spiritualities through the lives…
-
This reaction essay is part of the Brookings project—”The One Percent Problem: Muslims in the West and the Rise of the New Populists.” We asked each author to reflect on how reading the other working papers helped them think differently about their own country of focus.
-
This paper details religious voting patterns in the 2018 midterm elections and first two years of the Trump presidency with a particular eye toward any perceivable shifts in the white evangelical vote since 2016. It also looks for signs of an emerging progressive religious vote. Ultimately, it attempts to discern what will be relevant in…
-
A Return to Peace (Beta Mau Jumpa) focuses on the efforts of Ambonese – and especially Ambonese women – to return to a life of relative peaceful co-existence today, some twenty years after the worst of the Maluku violence. The film juxtaposes flashbacks on the Ambon violence with person-centered accounts of the efforts of men…
-
This reaction essay is part of the Brookings project—”The One Percent Problem: Muslims in the West and the Rise of the New Populists.” We asked each author to reflect on how reading the other working papers helped them think differently about their own country of focus.
-
With the rise of violence between ‘Alawis and Sunnis in Syria, and the ongoing Shi’a-Sunni strife in Iraq, the danger of sectarianism is growing. Will a deepening and potentially violent sectarian divide between Sunni and Shi’a be a lasting legacy of the Arab awakening? How will important smaller countries like Bahrain and Lebanon be affected?…
-
Introduction One hundred and thirty years ago in September 1893, Narendra Dutt — known by his monastic name Swami Vivekananda — visited Chicago, Illinois, to attend the World’s Parliament of Religions. In front of distinguished delegates and hundreds of audience members from around the world, Vivekananda discussed aspects of Hinduism, Indian religions, and reflections on…
