In his analysis of these results, he offers some observations on the role of religion in contemporary Japanese society and advocates a more positive engagement in the debate on Japan's role in international security arrangements. By offering a representative sample of New Religion groups and focusing on their doctrines, Prophets of Peace provides a different perspective for those whose primary interest is the Japanese New Religions. Although students and scholars of Japanese religion will be the book's first audience, its accessibility and thematic approach also recommend it to readers with a broader interest in contemporary Japanese society, peace studies, and the role of religious groups in modern society.

Believing in Belonging draws on empirical research exploring mainstream religious belief and identity in Euro-American countries. Starting from a qualitative study based in northern England, and then broadening the data to include other parts of Europe and North America, Abby Day explores how people 'believe in belonging', choosing religious identifications to complement other social and emotional experiences of 'belongings'. The concept of 'performative belief' helps explain how otherwise non-religious people can bring into being a Christian identity related to social belongings. What is often dismissed as 'nominal' religious affiliation is far from an empty category, but one loaded with cultural 'stuff' and meaning. Day introduces an original typology of natal, ethnic and aspirational nominalism that challenges established disciplinary theory in both the European and North American schools of the sociology of religion that assert that most people are 'unchurched' or 'believe without belonging' while privately maintaining beliefs in God and other 'spiritual' phenomena. This study provides a unique analysis and synthesis of anthropological and sociological understandings of belief and proposes a holistic, organic, multidimensional analytical framework to allow rich cross cultural comparisons. Chapters focus in particular on: the genealogies of 'belief' in anthropology and sociology, methods for researching belief without asking religious questions, the acts of claiming cultural identity, youth, gender, the 'social' supernatural, fate and agency, morality and a development of anthropocentric and theocentric orientations that provides a richer understanding of belief than conventional religious/secular distinctions.

A sociological study of the cultural choices and identity negotiation of North African women immigrants in France.

Although the religions of the Caribbean have been a subject of popular media, there have been few ethnographic publications. This text is a much-needed and long overdue addition to Caribbean studies and the exploration of ideas, beliefs, and religious practices of Caribbean folk in diaspora and at home. Drawing upon ethnographic and historical research in a variety of contexts and settings, the contributors to this volume explore the relationship between religious and social life. Whether practiced at home or abroad, the contributors contend that the religions of Caribbean folk are dynamic and creative endeavors that have mediated the ongoing and open-ended relation between local and global, historical and contemporary change.

In the first decade of the twenty-first century, globalization and identity have emerged as the most critical challenges to world peace. This volume of Peace & Policy addresses the overarching question, "What are the effects of globalization in the areas of culture, ethnic diversity, religion, and citizenship, and how does terrorism help groups attain a sense of global identity?"Part I, "Citizenship in a Globalizing World," reexamines globalization in light of the traditions from which human civilizations have evolved. Linda Groff focuses on Samuel R. Huntington's thesis that the Cold War would be followed by a clash of civilizations. Joseph A. Camilleri traces the history of the concept of citizenship and its transformation through the ages to modern times. Kamran Mofid argues that the marketplace is not just an economic sphere but one where economic and business interests must embrace the spiritual assets of the community. Majid Tehranian raises the problem of identity and advocates the assumption of global identity, responsibility, and citizenship. Part II, "Convergence in Global Cultures," explores the complex issues of diversity in religions. Christopher Leeds, Vladimir Korobov, and Bharapt Gupt show how the reconceptualization of the world both geographically and regionally can recreate new sensibilities needed to overcome differences. Part III, "Divergence in Global Conflicts," discusses the multiple dimensions of the globalizing effects of economic expansion and political strife experienced by different cultures at local and regional levels. Audrey Kitigawa and Ade Ogunrinade use Nigeria as an example of political manipulation of religious and ethnic groups to divert attention from the real problems of social and economic marginalization. Fred Riggs looks at how the Web has become a medium in the globalization of religious movements.The authors maintain that continuing efforts for dialogue across cultural and religious boundaries in today's

Dealing with the ongoing interaction of rich and diverse cultural traditions from Cuba and Jamaica to Guyana and Surinam, Nation Dance addresses some of the major contemporary issues in the study of Caribbean religion and identity. The book’s three sections move from a focus on spirituality and healing, to theology in social and political context, and on to questions of identity and diaspora. The book begins with the voices of female practitioners and then offers a broad, interdisciplinary examination of Caribbean religion and culture. Afro-Caribbean religions, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity are all addressed, with specific reflections on Santería, Palo Monte, Vodou, Winti, Obeah, Kali Mai, Orisha work, Spiritual Baptist faith, Spiritualism, Rastafari, Confucianism, Congregationalism, Pentecostalism, Catholicism, and liberation theology. Some essays are based on fieldwork, archival research, and textual or linguistic analysis, while others are concerned with methodological or theoretical issues. Contributors include practitioners and scholars, some very established in the field, others with fresh, new approaches; all of them come from the region or have done extensive fieldwork or research there. In these essays the poetic vitality of the practitioner’s voice meets the attentive commitment of the postcolonial scholar in a dance of "nations" across the waters.