@article {1311, title = {The Essentiality of {\textquotedblleft}Culture{\textquotedblright} in the Study of Religion and Politics}, journal = {Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion}, volume = {50}, year = {2011}, chapter = {639}, abstract = {This article reviews various theoretical approaches political scientists employ in the analysis of religion and politics and posits culture as a conceptual bridge between competing approaches. After coming to the study of religion slowly in comparison with other social science disciplines, political science finally has a theoretically diverse and thriving religion and politics subfield. However, political scientists{\textquoteright} contributions to the social scientific study of religion are hampered by a lack of agreement about whether endogenous or exogenous theoretical approaches ought to dominate our scholarship. I assert that the concept of culture{\textemdash}and more specifically, subculture{\textemdash}might help create more connections across theoretical research traditions. I emphasize how the concept of religion-based subculture is inherent in psychological, social psychological, social movement, and contextual approaches to religion and politics scholarship, and I explore these theoretical connections using the example of religion-based {\textquotedblleft}us versus them{\textquotedblright} discourses in contemporary American politics.}, keywords = {analysis, culture, Politics, religion, Research, Sociology of religion, study of religion, theoretical approaches}, url = {http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-5906.2011.01608.x/abstract}, author = {Laura R. Olson} }