New Religious Movements in the Twenty-First Century

Introduction Alternative Religions, the State, and the Globe Thomas Robbins Section 1. Western Europe General Overview of the 'Cult Scene' in Great Britain Eileen Barker Religious Minorities and New Religious Movements in Denmark Armin W. Geertz and Mikael Rothstein France's Obsession with the 'Sectarian Threat' Daniele Hervieu-Leger The Secte Response to Religious Discrimination: Subversives, Martyrs, or Freedom Fighters in the French Sect Wars Susan J. Palmer Italy's Surprisingly Favorable Environment for Religious Minorities Massimo Introvigne New Religions in Germany: The Publicity of the Public Sphere Brigitte Schoen Section 2. Eastern Europe and Eurasia New Religions in the New Russia Marat Shterin New Religious Minorities in the Baltic States Solveiga Krumina-Konkova Crushing Wahhabi Fundamentalists in Central Asia and the Caucasus: Sub-plot to the Global Struggle against Al-Qaeda or Suppression of Legitimate Religious Opposition? Brian Glyn Williams Section 3. Africa, Asia, and Australia Prophets, 'False Prophets', and the African State: Emergent Issues of Religious Freedom and Conflict Rosalind I. J. Hackett Religion on a Leash: NRMs and the Limits of Chinese Freedom Scott Lowe Consensus Shattered: Japanese Paradigm Shift and Moral Panic in the Post-Aum Era Ian Reader New Religions in Australia: Public Menace or Societal Salvation James T. Richardson Section 4. North and South America The Mainstreaming of Alternative Spirituality in Brazil Robert T. Carpenter The Fate of NRMs and their Detractors in Twenty-First Century America J. Gordon Melton New Religions and the Anticult Movement in Canada Irving Hexham and Karla Poewe Section 5. Theoretical Considerations New Religious Movements and Globalization James A. Beckford Apocalypse 9/11 John R. Hall Establishments and Sects in the Islamic World Mark Sedgwick Research on New Religious Movements in the Post-9/11 World Benjamin Zablocki and J. Anna Looney Cults, Porn, and Hate: Convergent Discourses on First Amendment Restriction Dick Anthony and Thomas Robbins Conclusion: The Future of New and Minority Religions in the 21st Century: Religious Freedom under Global Siege Phillip Charles Lucas