This Companion offers a global, comparative history of the interplay between religion and war from ancient times to the present. Moving beyond sensationalist theories that seek to explain why 'religion causes war,' the volume takes a thoughtful look at the connection between religion and war through a variety of lenses - historical, literary, and sociological-as well as the particular features of religious war. The twenty-three carefully nuanced and historically grounded chapters comprehensively examine the religious foundations for war, classical just war doctrines, sociological accounts of religious nationalism, and featured conflicts that illustrate interdisciplinary expressions of the intertwining of religion and war. Written by a distinguished, international team of scholars, whose essays were specially commissioned for this volume, The Cambridge Companion to Religion and War will be an indispensable resource for students and scholars of the history and sociology of religion and war, as well as other disciplines.

Why is religion intertwined with war and violence? These chapters offer nuanced discussions of the key histories and themes.

About the Author
Margo Kitts is Professor and Coordinator of Religious Studies and East-West Classical Studies at Hawai'i Pacific University. She is the author and editor of ten books, most recently Sacrifice: Themes, Theories, and Controversies (2022) and Martyrdom, Self-Sacrifice and Self-Immolation: Religious Perspectives on Suicide (2018).


Book Information
ISBN 9781108793438
Author Margo Kitts
Format Paperback
Page Count 425
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 267g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 25mm