Constructing Religious Martyrdom

Martyrdom Is A Phenomenon Common To Many Of The World'S Religious Traditions. But Why? In This Study John Soboslai Offers Insights Into The Practices Of Self-Sacrifice Within Specific Sociopolitical Contexts. Providing A New Understanding Of Martyrdom Through The Lens Of Political Theology He Analyzes Discourses And Performances In Four Religious Traditions During Social And Political Crises Beginning With Second-Century Christianity In Asia Minor Where The Term 'Martyr' First Took Its Meaning. He Also Analyzes Shi'A Islam In The 1980S When 'Suicide Bombing' First Appeared As A Strategy In West Asia; Global Sikhism During World War I Where Martyrs Stood For And Against The British Raj; And Twenty-First-Century Tibetan Buddhism Where Self-Immolators Used Their Bodies In Opposition To The Programs Of The People'S Republic Of China. Presenting A New Theory Of Martyrdom Linked To Constructions Of Sovereign Authority Soboslai Reveals Common Features Of Self-Sacrifice And Demonstrates How Bodily Performances Buttress Conceptions Of Authority.