What’s the relationship between people’s personal faith and their political activism? What extra dimension does religion bring to social movements and to contemporary cities? How might being a person of faith shape one’s attitude to environmentalism and to caring for life beyond the self? Moving way beyond the stereotypes of the peace-loving Quaker and the evangelical conservative Christian, Alice Bloch talks to Sydney-based sociologist Rosie Hancock about the fascinating intersection of religious belief and political action.

Hosts: Alice Bloch and Samira Shackle
Producer: Alice Bloch
Music: Danosongs

Podcast listeners can get a year's subscription to New Humanist magazine for just £13.50. Head to newhumanist.org.uk/subscribe and enter the code WITHREASON

Further reading:
‘Islamic Environmentalism: Activism in the United States and Great Britain’ (2018), Rosemary Hancock

‘Religion in Coalition: Balancing Moderate and Progressive Politics in the Sydney Alliance’ (2019), Religions, Rosemary Hancock

‘Is there a paradox of religion and liberation? Islamic environmentalism, activism, and religious practice’ Journal for the Academic Study of Religion (2015) Rosemary Hancock

People, Power, and Change: Movements of Social Transformation (1970) Luther Gerlach and Virginia Hine 

On Social Control and Collective Behaviour (1967) Robert Park 

‘Ecological Humanism’ (1979) Don Marietta, New Humanist Magazine