Banner photos: everyday life; and religiosity around the world
Dr. Patricia Sohn, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Department of Political Science
Joint Appointment, Center for Jewish Studies
Affiliate, Center for Global Islamic Studies
Also published as Patricia J. Woods
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2564-9722
http://linkedin.com/in/patriciajsohn
http://twitter.com/patriciajsohn
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AY 2023-2024 Activities
Infrastructure Council (a Faculty Senate Council)
Chair, Department Curriculum Committee
Political Science Leadership Council selection committee
(For more, please see “Selected Recent Activities” @ tab on left of page.)
Recent Publications
In Hardcover, Paperback, and as an e-book!!
Beyond the Death of God
Religion in 21st Century International Politics
Simone Raudino and Patricia Sohn, Editors
Politics and religion remain entwined
This volume offers a nuanced picture with specific instances of religion and politics in Muslim, Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu contexts, broadly presenting the phenomenon of religion and politics via country and thematic case studies. Qualitative, quantitative, material, philosophical, and theological analyses draw upon social theory to show how (and why) religion matters deeply in each time and place.
The authors and contributors demonstrate that religion is a significant force that drives societies and polities around the world, and that a radical change in the Western understanding of value-driven global politics is needed. Beyond the Death of God offers new, local voices to Western audiences—through essays that suggest the need for an appreciation of Divinity as a quintessence holding a significant place in the hearts, minds, social orders, and political organization of polities around the world.
Praise
Knowledge Unlatched Libraries funding support makes this book available as a free e-book. See publisher’s link. Beautiful hardcover and paperback editions are simultaneously available. Thank you!
- “Beyond the Death of God helps us understand a truth that the secularization thesis has long masked: across the world, consciously or unconsciously, we still continue being living symbols of deep religious choices.” —Husain Haqqani, author and former Pakistan Ambassador to the United States
- “. . . leads us to reconsider the relevance of the secularization paradigm and to rethink the traditional dichotomy between religion and politics in contemporary societies.” — Laurent Mayali, University of California, Berkeley
- “Beyond the Death of God provides a stimulating contribution to scholarship on religion, politics, and society. Raudino and Sohn assemble a strong series of case studies that cross religious traditions, regions, and varied substantive themes, providing a wealth of insights on the enduring importance of religion in global affairs.” — Tamir Moustafa, author of Constituting Religion
- “This book is a great effort to discuss the entanglement between religion and politics. It starts with critically interpreting the implication of ‘God is dead’ (Nietzsche), and the empirical section of the book comprehensively covers the major religions. It is a must-read for scholars who are interested in the relationship between religion and politics.” — Joseph Tsai, National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan
- “This book has the merit of going beyond traditional assumptions of modernization, secularization and the ‘West versus non-West’ paradigm. It will appeal to readers who want to have a comprehensive picture of what the place of religion in different geographical areas and religious traditions actually is—and not what it should be in theoretical perspectives.” — Rossella Bottoni, University of Trento
- “Irrespective of their ideological leanings, most social and political scientists in the Western world tend to divorce politics and religion, to the detriment of an understanding of both. Beyond the Death of God provides an excellent corrective to this state of affairs by making an important contribution to understanding the fit between the drives of the spirit and tradition, and the more mundane drives of social and political power and organization.” — Wayne Cristaudo, Charles Darwin University
Thank you so much to the editors!
“Religion and Secularism in Turkey, and The Turkish Elections” By Patricia Sohn, Shadi Heidarifar, and Sydney Polanin. E-International Relations, May 26, 2023. 1,606 views as of February 25, 2024
“Religion and Secularism in Turkey and the Turkish Elections” By Patricia Sohn, Shadi Heidarifar, and Sydney Polanin. Culturico, May 26, 2023
Inclusiveness, Pedagogy, Identity, Ideology, and the Epistemology of the Professor” By Patricia Sohn. Articles. E-International Relations, May 13, 2023. 769 views as of February 25, 2024
United Moderate Religion vs. Secular and Religious Extremes?” By Patricia Sohn. Articles. E-International Relations, April 3, 2023. 742 views as of February 25, 2024
“What Is Nationalism? A Nation? A Nationalist?” By Patricia Sohn. E-International Relations, November 16, 2018. 12,938 views as of February 25, 2024
Selected additional articles in E-International Relations with high viewership:
“The Color of Institutions: Morality, Unity, or Decay? A Personal Reflection,” By Patricia Sohn. Articles. E-International Relations, June 2022. 422 views as of February 25, 2024
“Theatres of Difference: The Film ‘Hair’, Otherness, Alterity, Subjectivity and Lessons for Identity Politics,” By Patricia Sohn. Articles. E-International Relations, September 28, 2021. 769 views as of February 25, 2024
“Methods War: How Ideas Matter within Political Science,” By Patricia Sohn. E-International Relations, November 24, 2016. 2,180 views as of February 25, 2024
“Field Research, Research Design, and Scientific Method (A Personal Account),” By Patricia Sohn. E-International Relations. April 13, 2017. 1,471 views as of February 25, 2024
“Why Jerusalem is the Capital of Israel – and Palestine,” By Patricia Sohn. E-International Relations, December 8, 2017. 5,546 views as of August 24, 2023