2026-09-18T19:00:46Z https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-uni-passau/oai

oai:kobv.de-opus4-uni-passau:1236 2025-08-13 bibliography:false doc-type:PhDThesis open_access ddc ddc:320

Religion and International Society - Approaches to Including Religion in the International Relations Research Agenda 0000-0001-9834-2137 Katharina McLarren 320 Religion International Society English School Religion can unite and divide, it can lead to a strengthening or a weakening of identity and legitimacy. Religion can stoke conflicts but it can also pacify them – within societies and in international politics. Religion endures and it can exist independently of states, it can constitute them, and it can provide new forms of states, societies, and empires. Arguably, religion shapes or even constitutes the international society of states, an aspect so far neglected in the field of International Relations. The dissertation provides a new definition of religion for International Relations and the English School in particular. Based upon this understanding of religion, the five publications presented in the dissertation provide new analytical and theoretical concepts and approaches to fill the research gap. Religion is integrated into the theoretical framework of the English School in the form of a “prime institution” and with the help of the “quilt model”. While the former expands the theoretical framework, the latter adds an analytical layer. Based upon this definition religion is also introduced as a concept (“hybrid actorness”) in Foreign Policy Analysis, opening it up to become less state-centrist and more transnational-oriented, thereby boosting its relevance considering the evolving international (global) society. In another step, the Securitization framework of analysis is expanded to include (freedom) of religion. By revisiting the publications, the dissertation is able to identify next steps in terms of avenues of research. Finally, the dissertation reveals areas of study which contribute to increasing the pertinence of IR, particularly of the English School. Universität Passau Passau Innstrasse 29, 94032 Passau Winand Gellner Alexander Brand 2022-07-15 2022-10-17 PhDThesis Text urn:nbn:de:bvb:739-opus4-12365 application/pdf eng Standardbedingung laut Einverständniserklärung thesis.doctoral Universität Passau Passau Philosophische Fakultät 1 https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-uni-passau/oai/container/index/docId/1236 https://opus4.kobv.de/opus4-uni-passau/frontdoor/index/index/docId/1236