CFA- Summer School: Religion vs. Politics: Armenian Christianity and Shi'ism
Posted by: Khachik Gevorgyan <iranist@yahoo.co.uk>
Armenian Association for Academic Partnership and Support (ARMACAD)
Summer School
Religion vs. Politics: The Case of Armenian Christianity and Shi'ism
Yerevan, August 9-13, 2008
Venue: Common Ground, 9 Tpagrichneri Street
Course Director: Khachik Gevorgyan, Yerevan State University, Armenia
Course Faculty: Mushegh Asatryan, Yale University, Fairfield University, USA
Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, Yerevan State University, Armenia
How do religion and politics relate to each other? What is the role of
religion in politics, and how does politics influence religious
thought? What are the main principles of the interaction of religion
with state politics? How have these two concepts cooperated in the
course of history? Living in the region of religious plurality how
much do we know about the role of religion in the state?
The course will try to find answers and solutions to these, and other
similar questions, using as case studies Christianity, with special
emphasis on the Armenian Apostolic church, and the Shi'ite branch of Islam.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The interrelation between religion and state politics have been
subject to much controversy in the study of history and social
sciences. The Marxist view that historical processes can be explained
in terms of economy have been able to some extent to explain many
developments in the fields of politics and even religion. However,
recent works in the study of history, and history of religion in
particular, have demonstrated that the relationship is not that
simple. It is not always that religious-theological developments can
be explained by looking at politics, which in their turn are explained
by looking at economy, but very often it is hard to tell, whether the
determining factor in the interaction between the two phenomena is the
one or the other. In many cases it has even been argued that religious
ideas may trigger political action by themselves.
The course will examine the complex relationship between these two
phenomena by going over specific topics from the history of Shi?ism
and Christianity, with special emphasis on the Armenian Apostolic
Church. It will help to understand, through the close scrutiny of
secondary literature and primary texts, the exact nature of the
interaction of religion and politics in each case, and to develop a
framework of looking at the issue in other religious traditions.
Topics and course structure
Day I
1. The emergence of Shi'ism
a. The movement during the lifetime of the Imams
b. Theological and political developments: martyrdom vs taqiyya, the
Imams and the state
c. Moderation vs extremism: debates around the nature of the Imams
1. Christianity as a new political phenomenon
a. Its origins and struggle against State authority
b. Philosophical and theological developments
c. The adaptation process within the Christian theology
Day II
2. Shi'ism and the Occultation of the 12th Imam: political and
theological consequences
a. The crisis of succession and the 12ers
b. Ja'far's death and the Isma'iliyya: political and theological consequences
2. State – Church relationship: controversy or cooperation?
a. The ecumenical councils and State influence
b. Theological aspects of Church-State relationship
Day III
3. From martyrdom to taqiyya
a. Shi'ites and the 'Abbasid state
b. Rationalistic theology and the relationship between religious
leadership and state
3. False politics or reestablishment of justice?
a. Church divisions as a result of political controversies
b. The political background of the Protestant movement
c. The Catholic Church as a political player
Day IV
4. Shi'ism and political action
a. Millenarian movements in the 14th-15th cc. AD, and the emergence of
the Safavid state
b. From taqiyya back to martyrdom
4. Fundamentalism as a Christian phenomenon
a. Origin and development of the Christian fundamentalism
b. The identity problem in fundamentalism
c. Conservatism or fundamentalism?
Day V
5. Shi'ism and politics in the 20th century
a. Shi'ite clergy and the state in the 19th-20th century Iran
b. Shi'ism and the Islamic Revolution in Iran
5. The reformation movement in the Armenian Apostolic Church
a. M. Ormanian as a new era in the Armenian theology
b. The types and approaches of the reformation movement
c. Is reformation still necessary?
Format of the Course
The course will combine the format of lectures and discussion
seminars. Each day the instructors will present a 50-60 minute lecture
on the topic of the day, followed by a brief break. Afterwards a 50-60
minute discussion seminar will follow where the students will present
their views on the readings of primary and secondary sources assigned
for the day. On the fifth day the students will present an 800-1000
word research proposal relating to the field of the interaction of
religion and politics. The lectures will be held in Armenian and English.
Requirements for Participation
The course is organized for participants who reside in Armenia during
the days of the event.
You should not be older than 35, have an excellent knowledge of
English to read the assigned literature (the knowledge of Arabic or
Persian or Turkish or Latin or Greek will be an advantage while
evaluating the applications). You should be a graduate student or a
researcher in the following fields: Religious Studies, Middle Eastern
and Islamic Studies, Political studies, Anthropology, Sociology,
History and any other related disciplines.
Application Procedure
Full academic CV with degrees, academic background, research interests
and work experience mentioned
Research Proposal relating to the field of the interaction between
religion and politics (not less than 1000 and not more than 1500
words. Proposals which will not fit to the mentioned standards will be
removed without evaluation)
Statement of Purpose (Not less than 300 and not more than 500 words).
One letter of Recommendation
Full list of publications (if available)
Deadline
All materials and documents are to be submitted in Armenian or English
by June 25. Please send your applications to armacad@armacad.org.
The successful candidates will be informed till July 10. Only
shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
The successful candidates will receive readings of the course which
they are to read before the course starts.
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