ABSTRACT What role does religion play in understanding the outbreak of civil war? The purpose of this study is to offer an alternative understanding which conceptualises religion as discourse, religious identity as sacred narrative, and religious nationalism as a conflict over the power to shape interpretations of political legitimacy. A rationalist explanation for the role of religion in the outbreak of the Algerian civil war provides an empirical motivation for the argument. By conceptualising religion largely in rational-material terms, I contend that rationalists fail to appreciate religion’s unique attraction – the belief that the ultimate seat of political authority exists beyond the state and in some transcendent reality. As an alternative, I conceptualise religion as a discursive institution, explaining how the contest to shape a faith’s sacred narrative can result in physical violence. This exercise is a first step in a broader research agenda addressing how a robust theory of religious identity can enhance scholars’ understanding of peace and conflict.

中文翻译：

---

宗教、理性主义和内战：以阿尔及利亚为例

摘要 宗教在理解内战爆发方面扮演什么角色？本研究的目的是提供另一种理解，将宗教概念化为话语，将宗教身份概念化为神圣的叙事，将宗教民族主义概念化为对塑造政治合法性解释的权力的冲突。对宗教在阿尔及利亚内战爆发中的作用的理性主义解释为该论点提供了经验动机。通过在很大程度上以理性-物质的术语对宗教进行概念化，我认为理性主义者未能理解宗教的独特吸引力——即政治权威的最终席位存在于国家之外并存在于某种超越现实中的信念。作为替代方案，我将宗教概念化为一种话语制度，解释塑造宗教神圣叙事的竞赛如何导致身体暴力。这项工作是更广泛的研究议程的第一步，该议程旨在解决强大的宗教身份理论如何增强学者对和平与冲突的理解。