Fundamentalism in the Modern World Vol 2: Fundamentalism and Communication: Culture, Media and the Public Sphere

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How does religious fundamentalism operate in modern global society This two-volume series analyses the dynamics of fundamentalism and its relationship to the modern state, the public sphere and globalisation. This second volume explores the links between fundamentalism and communication: the rise of fundamentalism as a mass media phenomenon, fundamentalist communication in the public sphere, national cultural identities and the rise of a 'global society'. Expert scholars in the field address specific contemporary and past fundamentalist movements that have emerged from within mainstream Islam, Christianity, Baha'ism, Hinduism, Judaism and Buddhism. This is an important study of an increasingly significant and virulent aspect of modern society, and will be essential reading in the fields of Religion, Politics, Communications and Media Studies.

Reviews

'Fundamentalists have always been media-hungry. This book adds complexity and depth to this insight by highlighting how, in a world of proliferating satellite TV programmes, facebook networking and internet communication, the media wars between fundamentalists not only shape but are shaped by the powerful desires of audiences. In analysing the expansion of the public sphere to an international stage, and its sophisticated grasp of arguments on multiculturalism, this scholarly and timely collection moves beyond the 1980s Chicago fundamentalist project. Like that earlier project, the value of the book is in its comparative look at the New Christian Right, Islamist and Buddhist movements in different parts of world. But in interrogating the truth that the media is the message, this book presents original, fine-grained analyses of such hidden debates as the "chaos of fatwas", generated by the multiplication of Islamic channels, the argument between Salafis over the legitimacy of watching (or not watching) the World Cup in football-mad Saudi Arabia, or the spectacular theatrical, ritual dimensions of mass praying in front of hallowed Christian sites. Such scholarly gems make this book a richly documented, fascinating and memorable read for anyone interested in the paradoxes, dilemmas and ambiguities of fundamentalist thought and practice in the twenty-first century.' - Pnina Werbner, Professor Emerita in Social Anthropology, Keele University

Author Bio

Ulrika Martensson is Assistant Professor in the Department of Archaeology and Religious Studies; Priscilla Ringrose is Associate Professor in the Department of Modern Foreign Languages; Jennifer Bailey is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Political Science; Asbjorn Dyrendal is Associate Professor in the Department of Archaeology and Religious Studies. All are based at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim.