Fundamentalism : the search for meaning

Bibliographic Information

Fundamentalism : the search for meaning

Malise Ruthven

Oxford University Press, 2004

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Note

Includes bibliographical references (p. 231-236) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

Since the end of the Cold War fundamentalism has been seen as the major threat to world peace and prosperity, a concern that was exacerbated by the events of 9/11, and the War Against Terrorism. But what does Fundamentalism really mean? This is the first book to expose the real nature and spread of both secular and religious fundamentalism worldwide, and to explore the many different forms this can take. Fundamentalism is a problematic term that eludes easy definitions. Since it was coined by American Protestant evangelicals in the 1920s, the word has expanded its meaning to include radical conservatives or ideological purists in many spheres of activity, not all of them religious. Modern applications of Fundamentalism include Islamist radicals in the Muslim world, the militant Israeli settlers who oppose them as well as Sikh, Hindu and even Buddhist nationalists who seek to justify their political agendas by reference to divine edicts or religious tradition. While questioning its usefulness as a term, Malise Ruthven argues that there are some 'family resemblances' between different fundamentalist movements, especially over concerns national identity and gender in a world dominated by the mass media and economic globalization.

Table of Contents

  • 1. Family Resemblances
  • 2. The Shock of Pluralism
  • 3. The use and abuse of Scripture
  • 4. The use and abuse of technology
  • 5. Restoring the family
  • 6. Religious nationalism
  • 7. Beyond divinity
  • 8. Conclusion

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Details
  • NCID
    BA67107376
  • ISBN
    • 0192840916
  • LCCN
    2004042980
  • Country Code
    uk
  • Title Language Code
    eng
  • Text Language Code
    eng
  • Place of Publication
    Oxford ; Tokyo
  • Pages/Volumes
    vi, 246 p.
  • Size
    21 cm
  • Classification
  • Subject Headings
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