Fundamentalism : the search for meaning / Malise Ruthven.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ruthven, Malise.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Religious fundamentalism.

Physical Description:

vi, 246 pages ; 21 cm

Place of Publication:

Oxford ; New York : Oxford University Press, 2004.

Summary:

Malise Ruthven, writing with engaging clarity and directness, offers the first book to expose the nature of religious fundamentalism worldwide, and to explore its many forms. Tracing the development of this phenomenon, he examines its historical, social, religious, political, and ideological backgrounds. While questioning its usefulness as a term, Malise Ruthven argues persuasively that there are significant 'family resemblances' between different fundamentalist movements on issues such as the literal interpretation of scripture, violence, gender, and group identities.

Fundamentalism is a problematic term that defies easy definitions. Coined by American Protestant evangelicals in the 1920s, the word's meaning has expanded to include radical conservatives and ideological purists in many spheres of activity, not all of them religious. Fundamentalism embraces Islamist radicals in the Muslim world as well as the militant Israeli settlers who oppose them. It has been used to describe Sikh, Hindu, and even Buddhist nationalists who seek to justify their political agendas by reference to divine edicts or religious tradition. In this superb analysis, he guides us through what is clearly a complex topic, but one that is vitally important in the modern world.

Contents:

1 Family Resemblances 1

2 The Scandal of Difference 35

3 The Snares of Literalism 59

4 Controlling Women 95

5 Fundamentalism and Nationalism I 127

6 Fundamentalism and Nationalism II 153.

Notes:

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

ISBN:

0192840916

OCLC:

53393719