Conclusion

The conclusion summarizes the book’s main arguments while emphasizing the urgent need to demystify and de-exoticize the study of sectarian dynamics. Doing so requires an abandonment of the term ‘sectarianism’ and an analytical shift towards sectarian identity. The book’s conceptual approach to the study of sectarian identity (chapters 3-4) is then summarized. Sectarian identity should be framed as something that is formed, imagined, perceived and practiced at four overlapping, interdependent and mutually dialogical levels: doctrinal, subnational national, transnational. The benefits of the model are that, firstly, it creates a sharper focus that can better capture the multifaceted nature of sectarian identity. This helps us identify which aspect(s) of sectarian identity is relevant to a given context. Secondly, it helps us move beyond the false binaries and rigid dichotomies that have dominated the literature (see chapter 2). Finally, the suggested framework allows us to better identify which analytical tools and bodies of literature are most relevant to a given context. In the process, we can better identify linkages between sectarian dynamics and other social and/or political frames, contexts and variables. The book ends with predictions regarding the future of sectarian relations and suggestions for future research into the subject.