Religious Fundamentalism And Social Identity

Author : Peter Herriot
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 135 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 2014-02-25
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9781317724094

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Religious Fundamentalism and Social Identity by Peter Herriot Pdf

The attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon in the United States of September 11th, 2001 brought the phenomenon of religious fundamentalism to the world's attention.Sociological research has clearly demonstrated that fundamentalists are primarily reacting against modernity, and believe that they are fighting for the very survival of their faith against the secular enemy. But we understand very little about how and why people join fundamentalist movements and embrace a set of beliefs, values and norms of behaviour which are counter-cultural. This is essentially a question for social psychology, since it involves both social relations and individual selves. Drawing on a broad theoretical perspective, social identity theory, Peter Herriot addresses two key questions: why do fundamentalists identify themselves as an in-group fighting against various out-groups? And how do the psychological needs for self-esteem and meaning motivate them? Case studies of Mohammed Atta, the leader of the 9/11 hijackers, and of the current controversy in the Anglican Church about gay priests and bishops, demonstrate how fruitfully this theory can be applied to fundamentalist conflicts. It also offers psychologically sensible ways of managing such conflicts, rather than treating fundamentalists as an enemy to be defeated. Religious Fundamentalism and Social Identity is unique in applying social identity theory to fundamentalism, and rare in that it provides psychological (in addition to sociological) analyses of the phenomenon. It is a valuable resource for courses in social psychology which seek to demonstrate the applicability of social psychological theory to the real world.

Author : Herriot
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 128 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2024-06-01
Category : Electronic
ISBN : 1841696714

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Religious Fundamentalism and Social Identity by Herriot Pdf

Author : Peter Herriot
Publisher : Springer Nature
Page : 162 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2020-04-08
Category : Social Science
ISBN : 9783030425098

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Populism, Fundamentalism, and Identity by Peter Herriot Pdf

What can populism and fundamentalism possibly have in common? Peter Herriot argues that contrary to their apparent differences, these human phenomena are similar in two basic respects. First, they are both reactions against the complexities of the modern world in general, and its current crisis in particular. They propose instead a return to a mythical golden age, supposedly marked by purity and simplicity. Second, they both work in the same way psychologically. Using social identity theory, Herriot shows how both populism and fundamentalism create constant conflict by contrasting a virtuous ‘Us’ with a stereotypically evil ‘Them’. Contemporary case studies illustrate this process at work, and Herriot raises various issues as a basis for discussion, and concludes with hope.

Author : Peter Herriot
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 325 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2008-09-25
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9781134101603

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Religious Fundamentalism by Peter Herriot Pdf

How does a religious fundamentalist come to embrace a counter-cultural world view? Fundamentalism can be analysed from a variety of perspectives. It is a type of belief system which enables individuals to make sense of their lives and provides them with an identity. It is a social phenomenon, in which strictly religious people act according to the norms, values, and beliefs of the group to which they belong. It is a cultural product, in the sense that different cultural settings result in different forms of fundamentalism. And it is a global phenomenon, in the obvious sense that it is to be found everywhere, and also because it is both a reaction against, and also a part of, the globalising modern world. Religious Fundamentalism deals with all of these four levels of analysis, uniquely combining sociological and psychological perspectives, and relating them to each other. Each chapter is followed by a lengthy case study, and these range from a close textual analysis of George W. Bush’s second inaugural speech through to a treatment of Al-Qaida as a global media event. This book provides a comprehensive social scientific perspective on a subject of immense contemporary significance, and should be of use both to university students and also to students of the contemporary world.

Author : Josie McSkimming
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 271 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2016-10-04
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781317106562

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Leaving Christian Fundamentalism and the Reconstruction of Identity by Josie McSkimming Pdf

There is an increasing interest in the influence of religious fundamentalism upon people’s motivation, identity and decision-making. Leaving Christian Fundamentalism and the Re-construction of Identity details the stories of those who have left Christian fundamentalist churches and how they change after they have left. It considers how the previous fundamentalist identity is shaped by aspects of church teaching and discipline that are less authoritarian and coercive, and more subtle and widely spread throughout the church body. That is, individuals are understood as not only subject to a form of judgment, but also exercise it, with everyone seemingly complicit in maintaining the stability of the church organisation. This book provocatively illustrates that the reasons for leaving an evangelical Christian church may be less about what happens outside the church in terms of the lures and attractions of the secular world, and more about the experience within the community itself.

Author : Peter Herriot
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 332 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2008-09-25
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9781134101610

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Religious Fundamentalism by Peter Herriot Pdf

How does a religious fundamentalist come to embrace a counter-cultural world view? Fundamentalism can be analysed from a variety of perspectives. It is a type of belief system which enables individuals to make sense of their lives and provides them with an identity. It is a social phenomenon, in which strictly religious people act according to the norms, values, and beliefs of the group to which they belong. It is a cultural product, in the sense that different cultural settings result in different forms of fundamentalism. And it is a global phenomenon, in the obvious sense that it is to be found everywhere, and also because it is both a reaction against, and also a part of, the globalising modern world. Religious Fundamentalism deals with all of these four levels of analysis, uniquely combining sociological and psychological perspectives, and relating them to each other. Each chapter is followed by a lengthy case study, and these range from a close textual analysis of George W. Bush’s second inaugural speech through to a treatment of Al-Qaida as a global media event. This book provides a comprehensive social scientific perspective on a subject of immense contemporary significance, and should be of use both to university students and also to students of the contemporary world.

Author : Gerrie ter Haar,James J. Busuttil
Publisher : Psychology Press
Page : 266 pages
File Size : 45,6 Mb
Release : 2003
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9780415270342

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The Freedom to Do God's Will by Gerrie ter Haar,James J. Busuttil Pdf

A sensitive and topical overview of religious fundamentalism, examining traditions including Hinduism, Buddhism, Mormonism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Author : Mathews Mathew,Melvin Tay
Publisher : World Scientific
Page : 208 pages
File Size : 43,6 Mb
Release : 2021-06-18
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9789811235511

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Religion & Identity Politics: Global Trends And Local Realities by Mathews Mathew,Melvin Tay Pdf

Discourse on fundamentalism has gained much attention in recent years, particularly in a post-9/11 context where extremist or terrorist threats are more prominent, perilous, and pervasive. This edited volume seeks to spotlight the perspectives of academics and practitioners vis-à-vis global trends in religious fundamentalism and right-wing extremism over the past decade. It presents a collection of works from notable academics and practitioners; including a selection of case studies from Asia to illustrate the contemporary interplay of religion, politics and identity; alongside broader global trends of religious fundamentalism.The chapters that follow attempt to trace the sources and factors that led to the dramatic rise in these powerful forces of faith, which influence societies and politics around the world. Together, they present a carefully curated narrative of the interplay of religion and identity politics globally and across Asia. The prevailing differences in demographics, history and the extent of ethno-religious diversity across country contexts are perused across each chapter, and the ensuing circumstances deliberated upon.As these circumstances change, the ways people interpret their identities, engage in politics, and navigate their religion will also evolve. How we manage the effects of religious fundamentalism must hence begin with an understanding of how religion, identity, and politics interact — and this is what the upcoming chapters seek to illustrate.

Author : Daniel R Bare
Publisher : NYU Press
Page : 349 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2021-05-11
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781479803293

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Black Fundamentalists by Daniel R Bare Pdf

Reveals the history of Black Fundamentalists during the early part of the twentieth century As the modernist-fundamentalist controversy came to a head in the early twentieth century, an image of the “fighting fundamentalist” was imprinted on the American cultural consciousness. To this day, the word “fundamentalist” often conjures the image of a fire-breathing preacher—strident, unyielding in conviction . . . and almost always white. But did this major religious perspective really stop cold in its tracks at the color line? Black Fundamentalists challenges the idea that fundamentalism was an exclusively white phenomenon. The volume uncovers voices from the Black community that embraced the doctrinal tenets of the movement and, in many cases, explicitly self-identified as fundamentalists. Fundamentalists of the early twentieth century felt the pressing need to defend the “fundamental” doctrines of their conservative Christian faith—doctrines like biblical inerrancy, the divinity of Christ, and the virgin birth—against what they saw as the predations of modernists who represented a threat to true Christianity. Such concerns, attitudes, and arguments emerged among Black Christians as well as white, even as the oppressive hand of Jim Crow excluded African Americans from the most prominent white-controlled fundamentalist institutions and social crusades, rendering them largely invisible to scholars examining such movements. Black fundamentalists aligned closely with their white counterparts on the theological particulars of “the fundamentals.” Yet they often applied their conservative theology in more progressive, racially contextualized ways. While white fundamentalists were focused on battling the teaching of evolution, Black fundamentalists were tying their conservative faith to advocacy for reforms in public education, voting rights, and the overturning of legal bans on intermarriage. Beyond the narrow confines of the fundamentalist movement, Daniel R. Bare shows how these historical dynamics illuminate larger themes, still applicable today, about how racial context influences religious expression.

Author : Peter Herriot
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 122 pages
File Size : 51,9 Mb
Release : 2024-04-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781040026557

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Understanding Religious Fundamentalists by Peter Herriot Pdf

This book introduces the prominent role that fundamentalists play in religious, cultural, and political arenas. It begins by investigating religious fundamentalist groups and their psychological motivations for this counter-cultural adherence. Their extremely varied actions, argues the author, are based on two fundamental beliefs: that God speaks to them personally through his Word; and that they are involved in a cosmic war between God and Satan.. Subsequent chapters explore how fundamentalisms meet universal psychological needs for meaning, identity, agency, and self-esteem. Moving from individual psychology to social context, the latter half of the book explores how fundamentalist movements derive and exercise their authority and how leaders may strategise to appeal to external societies. The closing chapters seek to place the growth of fundamentalisms and their continued popularity in the social context of modernity and populism. With engaging discussion questions and suggestions for further reading, this book is ideal for students of social science and religion, as well as readers interested in the psychological roots of fundamentalism.

Author : Kumar Ramakrishna
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 433 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2021-12-01
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9780197610992

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Extremist Islam by Kumar Ramakrishna Pdf

Since the Bali terrorist attacks in 2002, law enforcement agencies have rigorously combatted terrorist networks in Southeast Asia, yet groups motivated by violent extremist interpretations of Islam remain resilient and dangerous. This book shines a light on specific beliefs, behaviors, and policies that impact these challenges, ultimately offering cutting-edge, effective tools for response. The book begins by challenging misguided and controversial notions that depict Islam as an inherently violent religion, arguing that the theological-ideological amalgam of what has been called Salafabism is the more useful lens for recognizing closed-minded extremist currents. The book carefully distinguishes this Salafabist extremist mindset from relatively open-minded Salafabist radicalism, paying due attention to "nonviolent extremists" and the ways they can contribute to rather than reduce violent terrorist activity in the region. Using poignant case studies from Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia, the book clarifies a bewildering range of terminology associated with Islamist violence and explains how imprecise and oversimplified narratives are destructive to progress--and worse, empowering to terrorist organizations. These chapters build up to research-informed policies and rhetorical recommendations for improved outcomes. With its novel insights into the root causes of extremist terrorism in Southeast Asia, the ineffective policies that prohibit progress and promote unrest in this region, and the avenues for positive change, this book offers a comprehensive strategy for fostering theologically sound yet culturally authentic counterterrorist measures that defend the complex, richly textured tapestry of culture in Southeast Asia.

Author : Simon Coleman
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 232 pages
File Size : 53,6 Mb
Release : 2016-11-28
Category : Great Britain
ISBN : 1138275875

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Religion, Identity and Change by Simon Coleman Pdf

Religion is of enduring importance in the lives of many people, yet the religious landscape has been dramatically transformed in recent decades. Established churches have been challenged by eastern faiths, revivals of Christian and Islamic fundamentalism, and the eclectic spiritualities of the New Age. Religion has long been regarded by social scientists and psychologists as a key source of identity formation, ranging from personal conversion experiences to collective association with fellow believers. This book addresses the need for a reassessment of issues relating to identity in the light of current transformations in society as a whole and religion in particular. Drawing together case-studies from many different expressions of faith and belief - Hindu, Muslim, Roman Catholic, Anglican, New Age - leading scholars ask how contemporary religions or spiritualities respond to the challenge of forming individual and collective identities in a nation context marked by secularisation and postmodern decentring of culture, as well as religious revitalisation. The book focuses on Britain as a context for religious change, but asks important questions that are of universal significance for those studying religion: How is personal and collective identity constructed in a world of multiple social and cultural influences? What role can religion play in creating, reinforcing or even transforming such identity?

Author : Mark Tomass
Publisher : Springer
Page : 281 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2016-04-08
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781137525710

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The Religious Roots of the Syrian Conflict by Mark Tomass Pdf

Explores the historical origins of Syria's religious sects and their dominance of the Syrian social scene. It identifies their distinct beliefs and relates how the actions of the religious authorities and political entrepreneurs acting on behalf of their sects expose them to sectarian violence, culminating in the dissolution of the nation-state.

Author : Kenneth E. Vail III,Clay Routledge
Publisher : Academic Press
Page : 503 pages
File Size : 40,6 Mb
Release : 2020-04-04
Category : Psychology
ISBN : 9780128172056

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The Science of Religion, Spirituality, and Existentialism by Kenneth E. Vail III,Clay Routledge Pdf

The Science of Religion, Spirituality, and Existentialism presents in-depth analysis of the core issues in existential psychology, their connections to religion and spirituality (e.g., religious concepts, beliefs, identities, and practices), and their diverse outcomes (e.g., psychological, social, cultural, and health). Leading scholars from around the world cover research exploring how fundamental existential issues are both cause and consequence of religion and spirituality, informed by research data spanning multiple levels of analysis, such as: evolution; cognition and neuroscience; emotion and motivation; personality and individual differences; social and cultural forces; physical and mental health; among many others. The Science of Religion, Spirituality, and Existentialism explores known contours and emerging frontiers, addressing the big question of why religious belief remains such a central feature of the human experience. Discusses both abstract concepts of mortality and concrete near-death experiences Covers the struggles and triumphs associated with freedom, self-regulation, and authenticity Examines the roles of social exclusion, experiential isolation, attachment, and the construction of social identity Considers the problems of uncertainty, the effort to discern truth and reality, and the challenge to find meaning in life Discusses how the mind developed to handle existential topics, how the brain and mind implement the relevant processes, and the many variations and individual differences that alter those processes Delves into the psychological functions of religion and science; the influence on pro- and antisocial behavior, politics, and public policy; and looks at the role of spiritual concerns in understanding the human body and maintaining physical health

Author : Mathew Guest,Elisabeth Arweck
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 315 pages
File Size : 54,5 Mb
Release : 2016-04-15
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781317068044

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Religion and Knowledge by Mathew Guest,Elisabeth Arweck Pdf

Religions have always been associated with particular forms of knowledge, often knowledge accorded special significance and sometimes knowledge at odds with prevailing understandings of truth and authority in wider society. New religious movements emerge on the basis of reformulated, often controversial, understandings of how the world works and where ultimate meaning can be found. Governments have risen and fallen on the basis of such differences and global conflict has raged around competing claims about the origins and content of religious truth. Such concerns give rise to recurrent questions, faced by academics, governments and the general public. How do we treat statements made by religious groups and on what basis are they made? What authorities lie behind religious claims to truth? How can competing claims about knowledge be resolved? Are there instances when it is appropriate to police religious knowledge claims or restrict their public expression? This book addresses the relationship between religion and knowledge from a sociological perspective, taking both religion and knowledge as phenomena located within ever changing social contexts. It builds on historical foundations, but offers a distinctive focus on the changing status of religious phenomena at the turn of the twenty-first century. Including critical engagement with live debates about intelligent design and the ’new atheism’, this collection of essays brings recent research on religious movements into conversation with debates about socialisation, reflexivity and the changing capacity of social institutions to shape human identities. Contributors examine religion as an institutional context for the production of knowledge, as a form of knowledge to be transmitted or conveyed and as a social field in which controversies about knowledge emerge.