Global Religions: An Introduction [Paperback]

Mark Juergensmeyer (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 20, 2003

Can Islam be located on a map? Is Europe the center of the Christian world? Is India a Hindu nation? While decades ago these questions were often answered in the affirmative, the truth has never been that simple. Not only are adherents of particular faiths spread across the globe, but there are many variations of a particular faith practiced side by side. This has only become more true in recent years as the pace of globalization has quickened.

The essays collected here provide brief and accessible introductions to the major world religions in their global contexts. The volume begins with an introduction to the globalization of religion by Mark Juergensmeyer, and is followed by individual essays on Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and local religious societies. The book concludes with three essays reflecting on the global religious scene. Taken together, these essays provide a concise, authoritative, and highly readable introduction to the state of worldwide religion in the 21st century.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mark Juergensmeyer is Professor of Sociology and director of the Global and International Studies Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Among his many publications are Terror in the Mind of God: The Rise of Religious Violence (2000) and Gandhi's Way: A Handbook of Conflict Resolution (2002).

Product Details

• Paperback: 155 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (March 20, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195158741
• ISBN-13: 978-0195158748
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #147,385 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

MARK JUERGENSMEYER is director of the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies, professor of sociology, and affiliate professor of religious studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is an expert on religious violence, conflict resolution and South Asian religion and politics, and has published more than two hundred articles and twenty books. His latest book, Global Rebellion: Religious Challenges to the Secular State (University of California Press, 2008) covers the rise of religious activism from al Qaeda to the Christian militia, and explores its confrontation with secular modernity. It is based on his earlier book, The New Cold War? named by the New York Times as one of the notable books of the year. His widely-read Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence (University of California Press, revised edition 2003), is based on interviews with religious activists around the world--including individuals convicted of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, leaders of Hamas, and abortion clinic bombers in the United States--and was listed by the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times as one of the best nonfiction books of the year. His book on Gandhian conflict resolution has been reprinted as Gandhi's Way (University of California Press, Updated Edition, 2005), and was selected as Community Book of the Year at the University of California, Davis. He has edited The Oxford Handbook of Global Religions (Oxford University Press 2006) and Religion in Global Civil Society (Oxford University Press 2005). He is co-editing two encyclopedias--one in global religion and the other in global studies--and is co-editing the Princeton Reader in Religion and Violence. His 2006 Stafford Little Lectures at Princeton University, God and War, will also be published by Princeton University Press.
JUERGENSMEYER has received research fellowships from the Wilson Center in Washington D.C., the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, the U.S. Institute of Peace, and the American Council of Learned Societies. He is the 2003 recipient of the Grawemeyer Award for contributions to the study of religion, and is the 2004 recipient of the Silver Award of the Queen Sofia Center for the Study of Violence in Spain. He received Honorary Doctorates from Lehigh University in 2004 and Roskilde University in Denmark in 2009. He has also received a Distinguished Teaching Award from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2006, and the Unitas Distinguished Alumnus Award from Union Theological Seminary, New York City, in 2007. He was elected president of the American Academy of Religion, and chairs the working group on Religion and International Affairs for the national Social Science Research Council. Since the events of September 11 he has been a frequent commentator in the news media, including CNN, NBC, CBS, BBC, NPR, Fox News, ABC's Politically Incorrect, and CNBC's Dennis Miller Show.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Global Religions - lack of substance, September 24, 2009

By 

Jan Helge "Jan Helge" (Norway) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Global Religions: An Introduction (Paperback)

I was rather disappointed with this book. I expected that the authors, well known scientists in the field would providethe reader with new factbased insight in the dynamioc field of world religions. Instead general opinions about religions which yoy might find in any newspaper.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Author has great points to make, but the style is stilted, September 2, 2009

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PeacefulSeeker (Santa Barbara, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Global Religions: An Introduction (Paperback)

It reads like a translated manuscript in terms of fluency. Further, it was hard to get past statements like, "Sikhs ... found in London, Africa, and Singapore." Are those supposed to be 3 cities?