Introduction

This introductory chapter is divided into four parts. The first section explores two contrasting historical narratives of religion and human rights and their contemporary implications. A second section sketches the empirical chapters as they relate to three core questions: How are human rights understood in different traditions? How do religious communities mobilize around diverse human rights agendas? How do state institutions shape the religious politics of human rights in practice? A third section elaborates four main themes that cut across the individual chapters: the centrality of religious pluralism, diverse strategies of engagement, political constraints, and the framing effects of historical narrative. A concluding section reflects on the future impact of globalization and geopolitics on religion and the global politics of human rights.