Religious emotions are an important factor for International Relations

Emotions take on an implicit role in some of the core ideas and theories of the field of International Relations. Fear especially, is a human emotion that is linked to conflict escalation theories and conflict mechanisms, such as the dynamics of a security dilemma. In a new Handbook of Ethics and International Relations, Mona Kanwal Sheikh contributes with a chapter that looks at the dynamics between religious emotions, ethics and conflicts escalation. Sheikh’s contribution shows how studying religion in conflict situations can add to our knowledge about the particular role of emotions in conflict escalation processes. Not only the role of negative emotions such as anger or fear, but also the role of “positive” emotions, such as religious commitment, affection or love for particular values, and figures of authority.

Sheikhs article “Religion, emotions and conflict escalation” makes three overall points:

First, it seeks to explain that religion is interesting, not only because of its instrumental relevance, or because of its appeal to identity and culture that often appear in polarized versions in conflict situation. Based on empirical research on militant religious movements she adds that religious feelings have an enormous mobilizing capacity, and thus constitutes a politically significant factor to focus on. Religious feelings, Sheikh argues do not appear in a vacuum but are based on shared ethics and culture that need to be studied.

Second, the article illuminates why a focus on collective emotions is relevant for conflict-studies in general and discusses the challenges of dealing with them as a sociological phenomenon.

Finally, Sheikh shows how a focus on collective emotions can add to the theory of securitization, and thereby to our understanding of how conflicts escalate.