The Chaldean patriarch and the discourse of ‘inclusive citizenship’: restructuring the political representation of Christians in Iraq since 2003
Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Chaldean Church has sought to play a role in Iraqi politics that counteracts the impact of the declining Christian population. Within a general climate of identity politics and efforts to reformulate conceptions of Iraqi national identity and political represe...
Publié dans: | Religion, state & society |
---|---|
Auteur principal: | |
Type de support: | Électronique Article |
Langue: | Anglais |
Vérifier la disponibilité: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Publié: |
Routledge
[2020]
|
Dans: |
Religion, state & society
|
Sujets / Chaînes de mots-clés standardisés: | B
Irak
/ Chaldéens catholiques
/ Chrétien
/ Citoyen
|
RelBib Classification: | CG Christianisme et politique KBL Proche-Orient et Afrique du Nord KDF Église orthodoxe |
Sujets non-standardisés: | B
Chaldean Church
B Inclusive citizenship B Minorities B church-state relations B Iraq B political representation |
Accès en ligne: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) |
Résumé: | Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Chaldean Church has sought to play a role in Iraqi politics that counteracts the impact of the declining Christian population. Within a general climate of identity politics and efforts to reformulate conceptions of Iraqi national identity and political representation of diversity, this contribution explores the role of the current Chaldean patriarch, Cardinal Louis Raphael I Sako, the leader of Iraq’s largest Christian denomination. The contribution shows that Cardinal Sako emphasises the need for inclusive citizenship (al-Mowatana) for all Iraqis. I contend that this is in keeping with the modern history of relations between the state and the Chaldean Church, and also born of dynamics within the community, particularly with the growing diaspora, as well as political difference between Iraq’s Christian communities. The aim of Sako’s al-Mowatana discourse is to safeguard the stability of the central government as a bulwark against further violence and displacement, as well as to offer Christians a way to participate in rebuilding Iraq. The Chaldean Church represents Christians to the state, arguing for their significance in building bridges, but also promotes the state to Christians as viable and necessary for enabling Christians to remain in their ancient homelands. |
---|---|
ISSN: | 1465-3974 |
Contient: | Enthalten in: Religion, state & society
|
Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/09637494.2020.1835293 |