Contested Legitimacies—Religion, Identity, and Authority in Uncertain Democracies

Political transitions and conflict-affected societies in Africa and the Middle East are characterized by competing sources of legitimacy. In addition to formal democratic institutions, religious leaders, communal authorities, identity-based movements, and faith-based organizations significantly influence political representation, public morality, social welfare, and claims to authority.
This panel investigates the influence of religion and identity on governance in uncertain democracies, especially in contexts where political transitions are incomplete, state institutions are contested, or constitutional arrangements lack widespread legitimacy. The discussion will address how religious and identity-based actors may facilitate peacebuilding, mediation, and social cohesion, but also contribute to exclusion, polarization, sectarianism, and democratic erosion.
The panel invites comparative and case-based contributions that examine the role of religion and identity in elections, constitutional reform, transitional justice, peace negotiations, public policy, and post-conflict reconstruction. Submissions exploring the interaction between formal institutions and informal religious or communal authorities are also encouraged, as are studies analyzing how gender, generation, migration, ethnicity, and class reshape political belonging.
Particular attention will be devoted to the ways in which political elites mobilize religious and identity narratives to justify authority, manage dissent, or redefine citizenship. The panel will also examine how communities employ these narratives to resist exclusion, demand recognition, and develop alternative forms of representation.
By connecting African and Middle Eastern experiences, the panel aims to reconceptualize democracy as a process shaped by multiple, and at times competing, forms of political, social, and moral authority within an evolving global system.