Faith, history and Martin Wight: the role of religion in the historical sociology of the English school of International Relations

Martin Wight is responsible for one of the English school's most distinctiv e features: the historical sociology of different international systems dem onstrating the importance of world history for the study of International R elations. Because of Wight's influence, the English school was, from the be ginning, concerned with the role of religion, culture and civilization in i nternational society. This emphasis. particularly with regard to the role o f religion, has been marginalized in the English school's current research programme. This is unfortunate because, despite a renewed interest in the E nglish school, the kind of questions Wight asked about religion, culture an d identity have become some of the most important in the study of IR. This article examines the role of religion in Wight's international theory, whic h cannot be separated from the fact that he was a devout Anglican throughou t his life. There was a relationship between his personal faith and his und erstanding of religion's role in international relations that previous scho lars have not examined. When these two aspects of Wight's faith and life ar e brought together, there is both a better sense of continuity between his early life as a Christian pacifist and his later years as a teacher and sch olar of IR, and a better recognition of what his distinctive approach to re ligion brought to the study of International Relations.