1st Edition
Disruptive Religion The Force of Faith in Social Movement Activism
Religion has long played a central role in many social and political movements. Solidarity in Poland, anti-apartheid in South Africa, Operation Rescue in the United States--each of these movements is driven by the energy and sustained by the commitment of many individuals and organizations whose ideologies are shaped and powered by religious faith. In many cases, religious resources and motives serve as crucial variables explaining the emergence of entire social movements. Despite the crucial role of religion in most societies, this religious activism remains largely uninvestigated. Disruptive Religion intends to fill this void by analyzing contemporary social movements which are driven by people and organizations of faith. Upon a firm base of empirical evidence, these essays also address many theoretical issues arising in the study of social movements and disruptive politics.
Biography
Christian Smith
"This is an excellent book that deserves to be widely read ... [It] is highly readable and would be of interest to a much wider audience than academic scholars ... This book could serve very well as a supplementary text in sociology of religion courses." -- Journal of Church and State