The history of the European state cannot be written without the influence, conflict, and competition of faiths and religious authorities. Has religion impacted state development in other regions in similar ways? In this seminar, the speakers will illustrate religion’s influence on the state by looking at examples in Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and North Africa: How did religious rivalry of Buddhists with Taoists and Confucians affect the state bureaucracy of China’s Song Dynasty? How did the sudden expulsion of the Jesuits from colonial Mexico (New Spain) in the 18th century first strengthened and later damaged the Spanish Crown's authority? How has the modern Muslim state evolved as a custodian of Islam?
