Product Description

Since the end of the Cold War fundamentalism has been seen as the major threat to world peace and prosperity, a concern that was exacerbated by the events of 9/11, and the 'War against Terrorism'. But what does 'fundamentalism' really mean? Since it was coined by American Protestant evangelicals in the 1920s, the word has expanded its meaning to include radical conservatives or ideological purists in many spheres of activity, not all of them religious. Modern applications of fundamentalism include Islamist radicals in the Muslim world, the militant Israeli settlers who oppose them as well as Sikh, Hindu and even Buddhist nationalists who seek to justify their political agendas by reference to divine edicts or religious tradition. This exciting new book tackles the polemic and stereotypes surrounding this fascinating subject.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #563460 in Books
• Published on: 2005-03-24
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 254 pages

Madeleine Bunting, The Guardian
"careful analysis...provides a much-needed mental map...thought-provoking."

Review
Fundametalism is a thought-provoking book which deserves to be widely read as a starting point for considering this most important modern phenomenon. (Journal of the Royal Antropological Society )

short, eloquent book (THES )

careful analysis...provides a much-needed mental map...thought-provoking. (Madeleine Bunting, The Guardian )

Madeleine Bunting, The Guardian
"careful analysis...provides a much-needed mental map...thought-provoking."

Customer Reviews

Decent Read
Ruthven gives a brief account of the history and ideologies of fundamentalists, looking at different cases around the world. The style of the book is particularly appealing to those who have no grounding in academic study but it is not patronising or textbook - like for those who do come from a scholarly background. I find this format of the book much more appealing than the condensed version in the Very Short Introduction Series as the text is in a much more ledgible form and little is missing from Ruthven's account.