ABSTRACT
The introduction will examine the historical precursors to the contemporary religious and nationalist resurgence and examine the theme of “religion and nationalism in Asia” from contextual and theoretical perspectives. It will pose the following empirical, analytical and normative questions central to this book: (1) What is the relationship between religion and nationalism in Asia with reference to the case studies selected? (2) What are differences and commonalities between the diverse configurations of nationalism and religion in Asian contexts? (3) Is the nation-state model, aligned with secularism, suitable for the region? After providing a justification for the case studies, it will summarize the chapters in the book.
