ABSTRACT
Until recently, the study of religion and political parties represented a relatively understudied subfield of research. Recently, however, the topic has become much more interesting for many scholars, as it has become clear that this relationship is of increasing political significance globally. Initially, the field focused rather narrowly on the intersection of religious cleavages and party formation in Western democracies in the mid-twentieth century. Today, the potential subject area is notable for geographic extensiveness – increasing to cover much of the world following the third wave of democracy from the mid-1970s. This reflected the spread of multi-party elections and the rise of party politics around the globe and, as a result, many religious leaders and organisations became actively involved in political considerations, both domestically and internationally.
