Religion, Violent Conflict, and Peace

This chapter begins by considering how to define religion, before discussing the difficulties with the popular notions of ‘religious conflict’ and ‘religious violence’. The next section delineates the connection between religion and group identity, since it is through this association that religion so often becomes a conspicuous dimension of conflict. The chapter then moves on to make some observations about religious traditions as (contested) repositories of ideas on war and peace, offering stories, symbols, injunctions, and models. Lastly, the chapter examines how religious actors—with their peacemaking ideas and often unique social position—can play important roles in peacebuilding processes.