Comparative Studies in Religion Unit

Sacred Cultures and Global Politics, Roberta Sabbath, roberta.sabbath@unlv.edu

This virtual roundtable brings together Sacred Cultures in Global Politics (forthcoming DeGruyterBrill 2026) co-editors, Roberta Sabbath—USA and Daniel Nii Aryeh Aboagye—Ghana and many collection contributors to describe examples of the profound and often hidden-in-plain-sight religious and mythic rhetoric in the polemics of individual politicians, organized movements, and, in general, political activism. Political operatives use familiar tropes springing from often ancient communal belief systems to transform the primeval into the contemporary, the distant into the immediate, and the detached into the normative to organize, motivate, and unite target populations. The rhetoric can unify or divide, be inclusive or exclusive, elevate or destroy. This collection seeks to make transparent both the rhetorical systems and their use in local, national, regional, and global political arenas. Panelists from this collection that includes scholarly articles from ten countries representing six continents covering contemporary controversial and powerful dynamics will share their observations.