How does a religious fundamentalist come to embrace a counter-cultural world view?

Fundamentalism can be analysed from a variety of perspectives.nbsp;It is a type of belief system which enables individuals to make sense of their lives and provides them with an identity.nbsp;It is a social phenomenon, in which strictly religious people act according to the norms, values, and beliefs of the group to which they belong.nbsp;It is a cultural product, in the sense that different cultural settings result in different forms of fundamentalism.nbsp;And it is a global phenomenon, in the obvious sense that it is to be found everywhere, and also because it is both a reaction against, and also a part of, the globalising modern world.

Religious Fundamentalism deals with all of these four levels of analysis, uniquely combining sociological and psychological perspectives, and relating them to each other.nbsp;Each chapter is followed by a lengthy case study, and these range from a close textual analysis of George W. Bush's second inaugural speech through to a treatment of Al-Qaida as a global media event.

This book provides a comprehensive social scientific perspective on a subject of immense contemporary significance, and should be of use both to university students and also to students of the contemporary world.

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