John Anderson
Professor, Head of School
Room: 2421
Office Hours
Tel: 2931
Email: jpa
st-andrews.ac.uk
About
John Anderson received his PhD from the London School of Economics in 1986. After a period of study in Moscow during 1987 he held teaching positions at the LSE, Westminster and Middlesex Universities before spending a year as Lecturer in Politics in Edinburgh University. He took up his position at St Andrews in 1991.
Since coming to St Andrews he has taught extensively at all levels, with specialist modules focusing on post-Soviet politics, democratisation, and religion and politics. He has published six books, the most recent of which is Christianity and Democratisation:From Passive Subjects to Active Participants (Manchester University Press, 2009). His research interests lie primarily in the field of religion and politics, and he is currently researching on the politics of global Christianity, and on conservative Christian politics in Russia and the USA. Other more private passions include music and ice hockey.
Teaching
IR3015: Religion, Politics and Democracy (Semester 2, 2011-12)
IR3101: Russian Politics and Foreign Policy (Semester 1, 2011-12)
IR5030: Religion and International Politics (not available in 2011-12)
Research
Current work focuses on conservative religious politics in the USA and Russia, in particular looking at the rhetoric about Christian nations, the uses and abuses of history in this debate, and how it informs political controversies related to sexuality, education and the arts. Separately I am exploring the politics of global Christianity.
Member of the Centre for Russian, Soviet and Central and Eastern European Studies at the University of St Andrews, and the Centre for the Study of Religion and Politics.
Books
- Christianity and Democratisation: From Pious Subjects to Critical Participants (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2009)
- (Edited) Religion, Democracy and Democratization (London: Taylor & Francis, 2005,
- Religious Liberty in Transitional Societies – The Politics of Religion (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003)
- Kyrgyzstan: Central Asia’s Island of Democracy? (Reading: Harwood Academic Press, 1999)
- The International Politics of Central Asia (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1997)
- Religion, State and Politics in the Soviet Union and the Successor States (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994)
Articles
Recent articles:
2011; "Contesting values and searching for rules in the Anglican crisis", in Politics and Religion, 4:3, pp. 428-447
2011; "Conservative Christianity, the global south, and the battle over sexual orientation", in Third World Quarterly, 32:9, pp. 1589-1605
2007; "John Adams, Klinghoffer and The Transmigration of Souls: Musical Responses to Terrorism"; Public Voices; 9(1):58-72
2007; "Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church: Asymmetric Symphonia?"; Columbia Journal of International Affairs; 61(1):185-204
2007; "The Catholic contribution to democratization's 'third wave': altruism, hegemony or self-interest?"; Cambridge Review of International Affairs; 20(3):383-399; Full text via DOI
2005: In Romanian, ‘Justificarea “privilefiilor” religioase în societăţile de tranziţie’ in Altera 2005, 26/7, pp. 249-69
2004: ‘Does God matter, and if so, whose God? Religion and democratization’, in Democratization, 11:4, 2004, pp. 192-217
2002: "Social, Political and Institutional Constraints on Religious Pluralism in Central Asia", Journal of Contemporary Religion, 17:2, 2002, pp. 181-96
Book Chapters
Recent book chapters
2008: "'Religion and international relations'"; Issues in International Relations; T. Salmon, M Imber (ed); Routledge; 207-17
2006: ‘Religion and democracy’, in Jeff Haynes, ed, The Politics of Religion. A Survey (Routledge, 2006), pp92-102
2006: ‘Religion as a source of conflict in the former Soviet Union’, in Philip Broadhead & Damien Keown, eds., Can Faiths Make Peace? Holy Wars and the Resolution of Religious Conflicts from Historical and Contemporary Perspectives (Routledge, 2006), pp. 46-62
2003: ‘Catholicism and democratic consolidation in Spain and Poland’, in J.Madeley & Z.Enyedi, eds, Church and State in Contemporary Europe – The Chimera of Neutrality (London, Frank Cass, 2003), pp. 137-56
2003:‘Constitutional change in Central Asia’, in S.Cummings, ed, Oil, Transition and Security in Central Asia (London, Routledge, 2003), pp. 75-83
Administration
I am currently Head of School. Previously I have been: first year, second year and honours tutor; exams officer; director of teaching, and head of department.
Forthcoming
2012: "Rocks, art and sex: the culture wars come to Russia?"
2012: "Dreaming of Christian nations in Russia and the USA: the appeal to history"
2012: "Sovereignty vs liberalism: some Russian Orthodox responses to democracy and pluralism"
PhD Supervision topics
I am particularly interested in supervising research on:
- religion and politics, with a particular interest in Christianity;
- on Russia, particular issues relating to religion, civil society;
