DRGS Conference Room ( AS 7/ 0603), Shaw Foundation Building, FASS
Principal Investigators: Prof. Lily Kong and Prof. Bryan Turner
Asia is a mosaic of multiple religious traditions, a range of state systems, and varied political ideologies. The intersections between state and religion are similar and different across different countries in Asia, with multiple outcomes in terms of the place of religion in state and society, religious harmony, inter-religious relations, and many other dimensions of urban life.
Drawing from a growing body of research among colleagues at NUS on the intersections between state and religion, it is envisaged that a joint FASS-ARI research programme be developed to further strengthen NUS' reputation in this area of research. The RASA Research Programme (RASA = "Religion and the state in Asia") will focus on religion-state relations in Asia, examining, inter alia, political reactions to religious diversity in civil society, the complex policies that states have developed to create viable (or not viable as the case may be) social orders, the ways in which religious groups work with or against the state for their own ends, and so forth.
It is proposed that the RASA research programme comprise a number of specific research projects focusing on Southeast Asia, East Asia, and South Asia, addressing broadly similar but not necessarily identical themes, responding to the particular situations in each area of study. This will be an interdisciplinary effort, calling upon expertise across the Faculty and ARI, including historical, sociological, political, philosophical and moral questions. It is envisaged that a joint effort be mounted to compete for research programme funding to support research over a three-year horizon (in the first instance).to ascertain interest among colleagues to participate in this research initiative. This Workshop will be an opportunity for colleagues to share their specific research to date, and importantly, to outline what they would like to research within the ambit of the proposed theme.
