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Toward Multipolarity Through Religious Nationalism?

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Religions in International Political Economy

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Abstract

Some scholars argue that a shift toward multipolarity and a more legitimate form of global governance is inevitable in a situation of hegemony, as states will seek to balance singular power centers. The question is: On what basis do national elites create successful counter-hegemonic projects that can challenge entrenched national (secular) elites and their rent-seeking alliances? It is in this context that a religious form of nationalism has been used to develop new alliances among elite fractions and new hegemonic projects, using neoliberal reforms to undermine entrenched power structures. This can be observed in the Middle East with Islamic fundamentalism where the Turkish case is paradigmatic, in India with the right-wing nationalist Hindutva project and in Latin America where the new protestant elites upset traditional power structures as the Bolsonaro election shows. Multipolarity and the idea of decolonization are therefore often aligned with religious and authoritarian nationalisms that seek to revive classical imperial projects such as the Ottoman Empire discussion in Turkey shows.

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  1. International Studies, York University Glendon Campus, Toronto, ON, Canada

    Sabine Dreher

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Dreher, S. (2020). Toward Multipolarity Through Religious Nationalism?. In: Religions in International Political Economy . International Political Economy Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-41472-6_5

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