Is the United States, in its fight against terror and pursuit of Osama Bin Laden, recklessly creating conditions in Central Asia to produce the next Bin Laden? Matthew Crosston studies this controversial argument in his political analysis of US foreign policy on Central Asia. He looks specifically at the 'no-man's land nexus' connecting Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan and the heart of Central Asian Islamic radicalism - the Fergana Valley. This book breaks new ground by examining in unflinching detail the unwitting role US foreign policy plays in fomenting that 'hot zone' and extremism, producing a new generation of Islamic radicals. University courses that deal with US foreign policy, international security, terrorism and/or Eurasian politics will want to make this book required reading.

Featuring a brand new examination of Islamic fundamentalism in the wake of the Arab Spring, this fully revised and updated second edition of Islamic Fundamentalism since 1945 analyzes the roots and emergence of Islamic movements in the modern world and the main thinkers that inspired them. Providing a much-needed historical overview of a fast-changing socio-political landscape, the main facets of Islamic fundamentalism are put in a global context, with a thematic debate of issues such as: - the effects of colonialism on Islam - secularism and the Islamic reaction - Islam and violence in the 9/11 era - globalization and transnational Islamist movements - Islam in the wake of the Arab Awakening Islamic Fundamentalism since 1945 provides an authoritative account of the causes and diversity of Islamic fundamentalism, a modern phenomenon which has grabbed the headlines as a grave threat to the West and a potentially revolutionary trend in the Middle East. It is a valuable resource for students and those interested in the history, effects and consequences of these Islamic movements

This modern classic by the author of Knowing God provides a comprehensive statement of the doctrine of Scripture from an evangelical perspective. J. I. Packer explores the meaning of the word "fundamentalism" and offers a clear and well-reasoned argument for the authority of the Bible and its proper role in the Christian life.

"The past few decades have witnessed an increasing reaction of the Mormons against their own successful assimilation", Armand Mauss writes in The Angel and the Beehive, "as though trying to recover some of the cultural tension and special identity associated with their earlier 'sect-like' history". This retrenchment among Mormons is the main theme of Mauss's book, which analyzes the last forty years of Mormon history from a sociological perspective. At the official ecclesiastical level, Mauss finds, the retrenchment can be seen in the greatly increased centralization of bureaucratic control and in renewed emphases on obedience to modern prophets, on genealogy and vicarious temple work, and on traditional family life; retrenchment is also apparent in extensive formal religious indoctrination by full-time professionals and in an increased sophistication and intensity of proselytizing. At what he refers to as "the folk or grassroots level", Mauss finds that Mormons have generally been compliant with the retrenchment effort and are today at least as "religious" on most measures as they were in the 1960s. A sizable segment of the Mormon membership, Mauss asserts, has gone beyond "Mormon" retrenchment to express itself in a growing resort to Protestant fundamentalism, both in scriptural understanding and in intellectual style. The author calls on a wide array of sources in sociology and history to show that Mormons, who by mid-century had come a long way from their position as disreputable "outsiders" in a society dominated by the mainline religions, seem now to be adopting more conservative ways and seeking a return to a more sectarian posture.

Why do certain groups and individuals seek to do harm in the name of God? While studies often claim to hold the key to this frightening phenomenon, they seldom account for the crucial role that religious conviction plays, not just in radical Islam, but also in the fundamentalist branches of the world's two other largest religions: Christianity and Hinduism. As the first book to examine violent extremism in all three religions together, Competing Fundamentalisms draws on studies in sociology, psychology, culture, and economicswhile focusing on the central role of religious ideasto paint a richer portrait of this potent force in modern life. Clarke argues that the forces of globalization fuel the aggression of these movements to produce the competing feature of religious fundamentalisms, which have more in common with their counterparts across religious lines than they do with the members of their own religions. He proposes ways to deescalate religious violence in the service of peacemaking. Readers will gain important insights into how violent religious fundamentalism works in the world's three largest religions and learn new strategies for promoting peace in the context of contemporary interreligious conflict.

This book brings the story of fundamentalism to life through the generations of the Rice family--immigrants, soldiers, farmers, slaveowners, refugees, and preachers. --from publisher description

"In Mainstreaming Fundamentalism, Keith Bates tells the story of John R. Rice (1895-1980), an understudied force in postwar American fundamentalism whose career intersected with those of J. Frank Norris, Bob Jones Sr., Bob Jones Jr., and Jerry Falwell. Bates uses primary source texts from Rice's contemporaries and Rice's own Sword of the Lord articles and private papers to explore the theme of Southern fundamentalism's public reemergence through a biographical lens. John R. Rice's mission to inspire a broad cultural activism within fundamentalism-particularly by opposing those who fostered an isolationist climate-would give direction and impetus to the movement for the rest of the twentieth century. The work will be of interest to scholars and students of postwar American fundamentalism, Southern fundamentalism, and Rice's contemporaries"--