{"title":"Series: Comparative Studies in Religion and Society","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe \u003cstrong\u003eComparative Studies in Religion and Society\u003c\/strong\u003e series offers an insightful exploration of the intersections between faith, culture, and social structures. Readers can expect thoughtful analyses that illuminate how religious beliefs shape societies and influence historical and contemporary issues, inviting reflection across disciplines such as philosophy, psychology, and history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith a rich diversity of perspectives, this collection encourages a deeper understanding of human behaviour and social dynamics in a global context. Whether approaching topics from a scholarly or curious standpoint, the series provides a nuanced lens on the complex relationships between religion and the evolving fabric of society.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"a-culture-of-conspiracy-by-michael-barkun-9780520276826","title":"A Culture of Conspiracy","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmerican society has changed dramatically since \u003ci\u003eA Culture of Conspiracy\u003c\/i\u003e was first published in 2001. In this revised and expanded edition, Michael Barkun delves deeper into America's conspiracy sub-culture, exploring the rise of 9\/11 conspiracy theories, the \"birther\" controversy surrounding Barack Obama's American citizenship, and how the conspiracy landscape has changed with the rise of the Internet and other new media.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat do UFO believers, Christian millennialists, and right-wing conspiracy theorists have in common? According to Michael Barkun in this fascinating yet disturbing book, quite a lot. It is well known that some Americans are obsessed with conspiracies. The Kennedy assassination, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the 2001 terrorist attacks have all generated elaborate stories of hidden plots.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat is far less known is the extent to which conspiracist worldviews have recently become linked in strange and unpredictable ways with other \"fringe\" notions such as a belief in UFOs, Nostradamus, and the Illuminati. Unravelling the extraordinary genealogies and permutations of these increasingly widespread ideas, Barkun shows how this web of urban legends has spread among subcultures on the Internet and through mass media, how a new style of conspiracy thinking has recently arisen, and how this phenomenon relates to larger changes in American culture. This book, written by a leading expert on the subject, is the most comprehensive and authoritative examination of contemporary American conspiracism to date.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBarkun discusses a range of material involving inner-earth caves, government black helicopters, alien abductions, secret New World Order cabals, and much more that few realise exists in our culture. Looking closely at the manifestations of these ideas in a wide range of literature and source material from religious and political literature, to New Age and UFO publications, to popular culture phenomena such as \u003ci\u003eThe X-Files\u003c\/i\u003e, and to websites, radio programmes, and more, Barkun finds that America is in the throes of an unrivalled period of millenarian activity. His book underscores the importance of understanding why this phenomenon is now spreading into more mainstream segments of American culture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46853919998188,"sku":"9780520276826","price":56.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/5988593482373.jpg?v=1759225800"},{"product_id":"terror-in-the-mind-of-god-fourth-edition-by-mark-juergensmeyer-9780520291355","title":"Terror in the Mind of God, Fourth Edition","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhy would anybody believe that God could sanction terrorism? Why has the rediscovery of religion’s power in recent years manifested in such a bloody way? What, if anything, can be done about it?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTerror in the Mind of God\u003c\/em\u003e, now in its fourth edition, answers these questions and more. Thoroughly revised and expanded, the book analyzes in detail terrorism related to almost all the world’s major religious traditions: European Christians who oppose Muslim immigrants; American Christians who support abortion clinic bombings and militia actions; Muslims in the Middle East associated with the rise of ISIS, al Qaeda, and Hamas; Israeli Jews who support the persecution of Palestinians; India's Hindus linked to assaults on Muslims in the state of Gujarat and Sikhs identified with the assassination of Indira Gandhi; and Buddhist militants in Myanmar affiliated with anti-Muslim violence and in Japan with the nerve gas attack in Tokyo’s subway.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing from extensive personal interviews, Mark Juergensmeyer takes readers into the mindset of those who perpetrate and support violence in the name of religion. Identifying patterns within these cultures of violence, he explains why and how religion and violence are linked and how acts of religious terrorism are undertaken not only for strategic reasons but to accomplish a symbolic purpose. \u003cem\u003eTerror in the Mind of God\u003c\/em\u003e continues to be an indispensable resource for students of religion and modern society.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47471697756396,"sku":"9780520291355","price":110.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780520291355-terror-in-the-mind-of-god-fourth-edition.jpg?v=1775249800"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/series-comparative-studies-in-religion-and-society.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}