Fundamentalism: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) - Softcover

Stimulating. (Roger Hardy, New Statesman)

Review from previous edition 'Ruthven's careful analysis of the phenomena ... provides a much-needed mental map [from] one of today's most perceptive observers and historians of religion.' (Guardian)

'...powerful stuff ... this book is perceptive and important.' (Observer)

This is a gentle, civilised book, written with some style. I enjoyed reading it. (Sasthi Brata, Spectator 10/04/2004)

The first clear definition of this indispensable yet misused term. (Anoush Ehteshami, University of Durham)

... an important contribution to the current political and cultural debates about Islam and the West, religious extremism, and the changing identity of supposedly secular societies. (R. Scott Appleby, University of Notre Dame)

Malise Ruthven tackles the polemic and stereotypes surrounding this complex phenomenon - one that eludes sim today, a conclusion impossible to ignore since the events in New York on September 11 2001. But what does 'fundamentalism' really mean?

Since it was coined by American Protestant evangelicals in the 1920s, the use of the term 'fundamentalist' has expanded to include a diverse range of radical conservatives and ideological purists, not all religious. Fundamentalism could now mean both militant Israeli settlers as well as the Islamist radicals who oppose them, it can mean Christians, Hindus, animal liberationists, and even Buddhist nationalists. Ruthven investigates fundamentalism's historical, social, religious, political, and ideological roots, and tackles the polemic and stereotypes surrounding this complex phenomenon - one that eludes simple definition, yet urgently needs to be understood.

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