Claiming Society for God: Religious Movements and Social Welfare (Encounters: Explorations in Folklore and Ethnomusicology)

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Synopsis
The nonviolent ways orthodox religious groups achieve social power and influence: a &“brilliant&” study of four movements in the US and abroad (Wendell Bell, Yale University). Gold Medal Winner, Independent Publisher Book AwardsClaiming Society for God focuses on common strategies used by religiously orthodox (what some would call &“fundamentalist&”) movements around the world. Rather than using armed struggle or terrorism, as much of post-9/11 thinking suggests, these movements use a patient, under-the-radar strategy of taking over civil society. Claiming Society for God tells the stories of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, the Sephardi Torah Guardians or Shas in Israel, Comunione e Liberazione in Italy, and the Salvation Army in the United States, showing how these movements, grounded in a communitarian theology, are building massive grassroots networks of religiously based social service agencies, hospitals and clinics, rotating credit societies, schools, charitable organizations, worship centers, and businesses. These networks are already being called states within states, surrogate states, or parallel societies, and in Egypt brought the Muslim Brotherhood to control of parliament and the presidency. This bottom-up, entrepreneurial strategy is aimed at making religion the cornerstone of society. &“Sociology at its very best…professionally researched and analyzed, both pragmatic and theoretical, overwhelmingly convincing, and an important corrective to a lot of current beliefs…a great read—fascinating from beginning to end.&”—Wendell Bell, Yale University, author of Foundations of Futures Studies
Copyright:
2012

Book Details

Book Quality:
Publisher Quality
Book Size:
233 Pages
ISBN-13:
9780253007148
Related ISBNs:
9780253002389
Publisher:
Indiana University Press
Date of Addition:
Copyrighted By:
Robert V. Robinson, Nancy J. Davis
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Has Image Descriptions:
No
Categories:
Nonfiction, Religion and Spirituality, Psychology, Social Studies, Politics and Government, Sociology
Submitted By:
Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:
This is a copyrighted book.

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