This book seeks to argue that religious actors play a crucial role in the complex processes of entering or re-entering the public spheres of state, political, and civil society. Seeking to ameliorate the analytical lacuna and concentrating on both the meso and micro levels of religious public involvement, the contributors explain how representatives from religious and political institutions act and interact in a variety of ways for various purposes.

Analysing empirical examples from both Europe and beyond, and including a variety of religions, including multi-faith platforms, the volume examines selected religious actors’ objectives, means and strategies and effects in order to address the following questions:

• What are selected religious actors’ public and/or political activities and objectives?

• In what ways and with what results do selected religious actors operate in various public spheres?

• What are the consequences of religious actors’ political involvement, and which factors condition the degree to which they are successful?

Whilst focusing mainly on Europe, the book also utilizes examples from Egypt, Turkey and the USA to provide a valuable and unique comparative focus. The contributors demonstrate that various religious actors, whether functioning as interest groups or social movements, and almost irrespective of the religious tradition to which they belong and the culture from which they emanate, do not necessarily differ markedly in terms of strategies.

This important study will be of great interest to all scholars of International Politics, Religion, and Public Policy.

Contents

1. Introduction Jeffrey Haynes 2. Typifying religio-political actors: the indeterminacy of the religious political party as a phenomenon John Madeley 3. Religious Parties, Churches and Euroscepticism Michael Minkenberg 4.Conceptualizing Religious Advocacy: Religious Interest Groups and the process of public polic Caelesta Poppelaars & Marcel Hannegraaf 5.The Effects of Religious NGO Advocacy in the field of Human Rights on Transnational Religious Competition Evelyn Bush 6. Religious regulation of politics? The Catholic Church and immigration in Spain Xabier Itçaina, Flora Burchianti 7. New actors on the governance of religious diversity in European cities: The role of interfaith platforms Maria del Mar Griera, Maria Forteza 8. Mosque representatives in Brussels as actors in the local political process: social learning and recognition Corinne Torkens 9. Religious organizations and migration in Austria Julia Morao Permoser, Sieglinde Rosenberger et al 10.The religious movement of ‘Family of Radio Maryja’ as an expression of post 1989 social discontent and marginalization in contemporary Poland Katarzyna Bylok 11. The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Movement and its Media Strategies. The mobilizing effect of religion in contentious politics Carola Richter 12. Turkey and the European Union: ...