Violence has always played a part in the religious imagination, from symbols and myths to legendary battles, from colossal wars to the theater of terrorism. The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Violence surveys intersections between religion and violence throughout history and around the world.The forty original essays in this volume include overviews of major religious traditions, showing how violence is justified within the literary and theological foundations of the tradition, how it is used symbolically and in ritual practice, and how social acts of violence and warfare have been justified by religious ideas. The essays also examine patterns and themes relating to religious violence, such as sacrifice and martyrdom, which are explored in cross-disciplinary or regional analyses; and offer major analytic approaches, from literary to social scientific studies.The contributors to this volume--innovative thinkers who are forging new directions in theory and analysis related to religion and violence--provide novel insights into this important field of studies. By mapping out the whole field of religion and violence, The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Violence will prove an authoritative source for students and scholars for years to come.

ContributorsIntroduction: ''The Enduring Relationship of Religion and Violence'' - Mark Juergensmeyer, Margo Kitts, and Michael JerrysonPart I: Overview of Religious Traditions1. Hindu: ''Violence and Nonviolence at the Heart of Hindu Ethics'' - Veena Das2. Buddhist: ''Buddhist Traditions and Violence'' - Michael Jerryson3. Sikh: ''Sikh Traditions and Violence'' - Cynthia Keppley Mahmood4. Jewish: ''Religion and Violence in the Jewish Traditions'' - Ron Hassner and Gideon Aran5. Christian:''Religion and Violence in Christian Traditions'' - Lloyd Steffen6. Islamic: ''Muslim Engagement with Injustice and Violence''- Bruce Lawrence7. African: ''African Traditional Religion and Violence'' - Nathalie Wlodarczyk8. Pacific Island: ''Religion and Violence in Pacific Island Societies'' - Andrew Strathern and Pamela J. Stewart9. Chinese: ''Violence in Chinese Religious Traditions'' - Meir ShaharPart II: Patterns and Themes10. Evil: ''The Religious Problem of Evil'' - James Aho11. Sacrifice: ''Sacrifice/Human Sacrifice in Religious Traditions'' - David Carrasco12. Martyrdom: ''Martyrdom in Islam'' - David Cook13. Self Mutilation: ''Starvation and Self Mutilation in Religious Traditions'' - Liz Wilson14. Apocalypse: ''Apocalyptic Religion and Violence'' - Jamel Velji15. Sacred War: ''Cosmic War in Religious Traditions'' - Reza Aslan16. Genocide: ''Genocide and the Religious Imaginary in Rwanda'' - Christopher Taylor17. Terrorism: ''Terrorism as Performance Violence'' - Mark Juergensmeyer18. Torture: ''Christianity and Torture'' - Karen King19. Just War: ''Just War and Legal Restraints'' - John Kelsay20. Abortion: ''Religiously Motivated Violence in the Abortion Debate'' - Julie Ingersoll21. Contested Sites: ''Conflicts over Sacred Ground'' - Ron E. Hassner22. Political Violence: ''Religion and Political Violence'' - Monica Toft23. Death Rituals: ''Rituals of Death and Remembrance'' - Susumu Shimazono and Margo Kitts24. Violent Death: ''Violent Death in Religious Imagination'' - Margo KittsPart III: Analytic Approaches25. Sociology: ''Religion and Violence from a Sociological Perspective'' - John R. Hall26. Anthropology: ''Religion and Violence from an Anthropological Perspective'' - Pamela J. Stewart and Andrew Strathern27. Psychology: ''Religion and Violence from a Psychological Perspective'' - James W. Jones28. Political Science: ''Religion and Violence from a Political Science Perspective''- Daniel Philpott29. Literary Theory: ''Religion and Violence from Literary Perspectives'' - Margo Kitts30. Theology: ''Religion and Violence from Christian Perspectives'' - Charles KimballPart IV: New Directions31 Sacrifice: ''Sacrificial Violence: A Problem in Ancient Religions'' - Walter Burkert32. Cities: ''Cities as One Site for Religion and Violence'' - Saskia Sassen33. Armageddon: ''Armageddon in Christian, Sunni and Shi'a Traditions'' - Michael Sells34. Phenomenal Violence: ''Phenomenal Violence and the Philosophy of Religion'' - Hent de Vries35. Constructions of Evil : ''The Construction of Evil and the Violence of Purification'' - David Frankfurter36. Mimetic Theory: ''Mimetic Theories of Religion and Violence'' - Wolfgang Palaver37. Scarcity: ''Religion and Scarcity: A New Theory for the Role of Religion in Violence'' - Hector Avalos38. Evolutionary Theory: ''Ritual, Religion, and Violence: An Evolutionary Perspective'' - Candance S. Alcorta and Richard Sosis39. Rites of Terror: ''Divergent Modes of Religiosity and Armed Struggle'' - Harvey Whitehouse and Brian McQuinn40. Sociotheology: ''A Sociotheological Approach to Understanding Religious Violence'' - Mark Juergensmeyer and Mona SheikIndex