Studies in Religious Fundamentalism

This book examines the specific circumstances that nurture fundamentalist beliefs and practices. It studies contemporary fundamentalist developments in several continents, involving groups associated with five major religions. The authors answer important questions regarding the ‘rationality’ of fundamentalism, its complex link with modernism, the nature of its relationship to a sacred text, and its perspectives on history and knowledge. No fixed set of qualities defines fundamentalism. Since it implies a view of the universe and a discourse about the nature of truth, it encompasses and transcends the religious domain. For that reason, every movement or cause is potentially fundamentalist. Frontmatter Preface (page vii) Notes on the Contributors (page ix) 1 Introduction (Lionel Caplan, page 1) 2 The Quest for the Islamic State: Islamic Fundamentalism in Egypt and Iran (Sami Zubaida, page 25) 3 'Thank God We're Secular!' Aspects of Fundamentalism in a Turkish Town (Richard Tapper and Nancy Tapper, page 51) 4 A Case of Fundamentalism in West Africa: Wahabism in Bamako (Jean-Loup Amselle (translated by Donald Taylor), page 79) 5 Rethinking Fundamentalism: the Readjustment of Jewish Society in the Modern World (Jonathan Webber, page 95) 6 The Khalsa Resurrected: Sikh Fundamentalism in the Punjab (Angela Dietrich, page 122) 7 Incipient Fundamentalism: Religion and Politics among Sri Lankan Hindus in Britain (Donald Taylor, page 138) 8 Fundamentalism as Counter-culture: Protestants in Urban South India (Lionel Caplan, page 156) 9 The Moral Majority: the Politics of Fundamentalism in Secular Society (Steve Bruce, page 177) 10 Fundamentalism and Modernity: the Restoration Movement in Britain (Andrew Walker, page 195) Author Index (page 211) Subject Index (page 214)