Beyond sacred and secular : politics of religion in Israel and Turkey / Sultan Tepe.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [371]-405) and index.

Introduction. Beyond sacred and secular : a comparative analysis of religious politics in Israel and Turkey -- Pt. I. Paradox of modernity? : the conundrum of religion in politics -- 1. Politics of religion : competing and coalescing conceptualizations -- 2. Religion in the making of the Israeli and Turkish nation-states : incomplete debates and continuing institutional reformations -- Pt. II. Ideologues or pragmatists? : the ideas and ideologies of religious politics -- 3. Representing the sacred in mundane politics : the ideologies and leaders of Mafdal and Shas -- 4. Representing Islam in secular politics : the ideologies and leaders of the Nationalist Action, the National View, and the Justice and Development Parties -- Pt. III. The popular roots of religious parties -- 5. Between Zionism and Judaism? : religious party supporters in Israel -- 6. Between Laicism and Islam? : religious party supporters in Turkey -- Conclusion. Sacro-secular encounters : a comparative model of religious parties.

"Beyond Sacred and Secular investigates religious politics and its implications for contemporary democracy through a comparison of political parties in Israel and Turkey. While the politics of Judaism and Islam are typically seen as outgrowths of oppositionally different beliefs, Sultan Tepe's comparative inquiry shows how limiting this understanding of religious politics can be. Her cross-country and cross-religion analysis develops a unique approach to identify religious parties' idiosyncratic and shared characteristics without reducing them to simple categories of religious/secular, Judeo-Christian/Islamic, or democratic/antidemocratic." "This book's findings will be especially relevant to those who want to pass beyond rudimentary typologies to better assess religious parties' capacities to undermine and contribute to liberal democracy. The Israeli and Turkish cases open a window to better understand the complexities of religious parties. Ultimately, this book demonstrates that the characteristics of religious political parties - whether Jewish, Muslim, or yet another religion - can be as striking in their similarities as in their differences."--BOOK JACKET.