Awards

• Joint winner for American Sociological Association Sociology of Religion Distinguished Book Award 2008.

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9780511790805

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Reviews

'Gill arrives at ... conclusions through a rich and rigorous comparative analysis of three historical cases: colonial and early postcolonial America, Latin America, and post-Communist Eastern Europe and Russia ... his comparative use of analytic narrative ... is admirably focused, brisk, and readable, in part because it is organised around the systematic testing of eleven propositions and sub-propositions ... Gill deserves credit for not overstating his case: he is careful to acknowledge that ideas also play a role in determining the level and type of government restrictions on religion, and he is careful also to emphasize that his book's scope ... is limited to a detailed examination of political origins of religious freedom, thus allowing that religious freedom derives from non-political sources as well. ... The Political Origins of Religious Liberty is an exciting beginning ... launching a theory that promises to stimulate useful new research on a wide range of historical and contemporary cases of religious liberty and its absence.' The Review of Politics 'In The Political Origins of Religious Liberty, Anthony Gill employs a rational choice framework to explain government decisions to regulate or deregulate religion in the American colonies, Latin America, and the former Soviet Union, while arguing that previous accounts have focused too heavily on philosophical ideas at the expense of providing a convincing account of the actual causes underlying the emergence (or denial) of religious freedom. ... Gill's well-researched account provides a solid framework for understanding the political and economic interests that may come into play regarding questions of religious liberty and helpfully points to the role that democratization can play in increasing religious pluralism and enhancing religious liberty.' Politics and Religion '[ Anthony Gill's The Political Origins of Religious Liberty and Bryan McGraw's Faith in Politics]provide compelling and original insights on the interaction between religion and politics in modern society ... these books provide an excellent introduction to the study of religion and politics. Both works depart from the usual abstract exercises in political theory and focus instead on historically oriented empirical research, to present political science as an empirical discipline. Both are intensely argued, theoretically sophisticated and empirically well supported. They are a delight to read and should be recommended to students of religious studies, political sociology and comparative politics.' Sarbeswar Sahoo, Political Studies Review

'Gill arrives at ... conclusions through a rich and rigorous comparative analysis of three historical cases: colonial and early postcolonial America, Latin America, and post-Communist Eastern Europe and Russia ... his comparative use of analytic narrative ... is admirably focused, brisk, and readable, in part because it is organised around the systematic testing of eleven propositions and sub-propositions ... Gill deserves credit for not overstating his case: he is careful to acknowledge that ideas also play a role in determining the level and type of government restrictions on religion, and he is careful also to emphasize that his book's scope ... is limited to a detailed examination of political origins of religious freedom, thus allowing that religious freedom derives from non-political sources as well. ... The Political Origins of Religious Liberty is an exciting beginning ... launching a theory that promises to stimulate useful new research on a wide range of historical and contemporary cases of religious liberty and its absence.' The Review of Politics 'In The Political Origins of Religious Liberty, Anthony Gill employs a rational choice framework to explain government decisions to regulate or deregulate religion in the American colonies, Latin America, and the former Soviet Union, while arguing that previous accounts have focused too heavily on philosophical ideas at the expense of providing a convincing account of the actual causes underlying the emergence (or denial) of religious freedom. ... Gill's well-researched account provides a solid framework for understanding the political and economic interests that may come into play regarding questions of religious liberty and helpfully points to the role that democratization can play in increasing religious pluralism and enhancing religious liberty.' Politics and Religion '[ Anthony Gill's The Political Origins of Religious Liberty and Bryan McGraw's Faith in Politics]provide compelling and original insights on the interaction between religion and politics in modern society ... these books provide an excellent introduction to the study of religion and politics. Both works depart from the usual abstract exercises in political theory and focus instead on historically oriented empirical research, to present political science as an empirical discipline. Both are intensely argued, theoretically sophisticated and empirically well supported. They are a delight to read and should be recommended to students of religious studies, political sociology and comparative politics.' Sarbeswar Sahoo, Political Studies Review Using engaging historical accounts and compelling theoretical arguments, Anthony Gill reveals that religious liberty is neither a mishap of history nor the inevitable consequence of secular states. Instead, he uncovers the motives and self-interests of politicians, religionists, and many others supporting religious freedoms around the globe and over time. A must read for anyone interested in the origins of civil liberties. Roger Finke, Penn State University Anthony Gill has done us all an enormous service in this beautifully written and intricately theorized book. Building on past research which identifies religious regulation as the key to understanding secularization, Gill takes a giant step forward to tell us why and how religious regulation occurs. He turns popular conceptions about the nature of religious liberty on their head to reveal the fascinating political mechanisms which determine church-state relationships. This monumental contribution to our understanding of the politics of religion absolutely invigorates current thinking on the topic and opens up multiple paths to future research discoveries. I am already pondering which of Gill's many insights I could rob. Paul Froese, Baylor University The most important book ever written on religious liberty is also a delight to read. Rodney Stark, Baylor University

Author Information

Anthony Gill is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Washington. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of California, Los Angeles and holds an Honors BA degree from Marquette University.

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