Peace and Reconciliation: In Search of Shared Identity

Establishing a shared identity is an important part of any process of peace and reconciliation. This book discusses issues and theories of identity formation that can be implemented for peace and reconciliation from the perspectives of theology and religious studies, whilst interacting with politics, socio-cultural studies and economics. By focusing on the theme of peace and reconciliation, and employing an interdisciplinary approach, this volume will make a significant contribution to the discussion of the situation of the Korean peninsula, and wider global contexts. The volume explores theoretical issues such as political and economic implications of reconciliation; interfaith and biblical perspectives; and the role of religion in peace making. Furthermore the contributors examine practical implications of the theme in the contexts of Germany, Northern Ireland, South Africa, India, East Asia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and the Korean peninsula. The book offers invaluable insights for policy-makers, academics, and lay leaders, besides being an important tool for researchers and students of theology, religion, sociology, politics and history.

Sebastian C. H. Kim is Professor of Theology and Public Life at the Faculty of Education and Theology of York St John University and Editor of the International Journal of Public Theology. He is the author of In Search of Identity: Debates on Religious Conversion in India (2003) and Christianity as a World Religion (co-authored with Kirsteen Kim; 2008); and the editor of Christian Theology in Asia (2008) and Liberating Text? Sacred Scriptures in Public Life (2008). Pauline Kollontai is Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Education and Theology and the co-editor of Community Identity: Dynamics of Religion in Context (2007). Her research covers various aspects of religion in the contemporary world. Most recent publications include: 'Messianic Jews and Jewish Identity', Journal of Modern Jewish Studies (July 2004); and 'Between Judaism and Christianity: The Case of Messianic Jews', Journal of Religion and Society (January 2006). Greg Hoyland is Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Education and Theology in York St John University. His research interests focus on contemporary Christianity with a particular interest in the Anglican tradition and the role of institutional religion in a 'non-institutional' age. His most recent articles include: 'Anglicanism: A Post-modern Spirituality?', Prologue, (2000) and 'Contemporary Anglican York: Denominational Identity, Association and Affiliation' in Sebastian Kim and Pauline Kollontai (eds), Community Identity: Dynamics of Religion in Context (2007).