This issue of Soundings features articles exploring the ongoing phenomena of humans inflicting violence on each other and the environment along with efforts to resist, overcome, and somehow make sense of life in the aftermath of such events. In these articles, religion often appears as a marker of difference between groups that motivates or justifies the violence. However, these authors also show us that religion and philosophy can sometimes oppose the mistreatment, provide solace and strength for the survivors, or work to understand these dynamics and define alternative paths.
First, Sokthan Yeng describes the persecution of the Rohingya in Myanmar by Buddhist extremists through the lens of Giorgio Agamben's theory of “bare life” (the status, devoid of human rights protections, of vulnerable groups who have no national/political affiliation). She argues that the experience of the Rohingya refugees illustrates that religion--as a factor of othering in the “bare life” dynamic--deserves more...
