Misunderstanding Cults

Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field

By: Benjamin Zablocki (Editor), Thomas Robbins (Editor)

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Paperback | 1 December 2001

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538 Pages

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22.8 x 15.2 x 3.4

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Misunderstanding Cults provides a uniquely balanced contribution to what has become a highly polarized area of study. Working towards a moderate "third path" in the heated debate over new religious movements or cults, this collection includes contributions from both scholars who have been characterized as "anticult" and those characterized as "cult-apologists." The study incorporates multiple viewpoints as well as a variety of theoretical and methodological perspectives, with the stated goal of depolarizing the discussion over alternative religious movements. A prominent section within the book focuses explicitly on the issue of scholarly objectivity and the danger of partisanship in the study of cults.

The collection also includes contributions on the controversial and much misunderstood topic of brainwashing, as well as discussions of cult violence, children brought up in unconventional religious movements, and the conflicts between alternative religious movements and their critics. Unique in its breadth, this is the first study of new religious movements to address the main points of controversy within the field while attempting to find a middle ground between opposing camps of scholarship.

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Preface
Caveat
Introduction: Finding a Middle Ground in a Polarized Scholarly Arena	p. 3
How Objective are the Scholars?
'O Truant Muse': Collaborationism and Research Integrity	p. 35
Balance and Fairness in the Study of Alternative Religions	p. 71
Caught Up in the Cult Wars: Confessions of a Canadian Researcher	p. 99
Pitfalls in the Sociological Study of Cults	p. 123
How Constrained are the Participants?
Towards a Demystified and Disinterested Scientific Theory of Brainwashing	p. 159
Tactical Ambiguity and Brainwashing Formulations: Science or Pseudo Science	p. 215
A Tale of Two Theories: Brainwashing and Conversion as Competing Political Narratives	p. 318
Brainwashing Programs in the Family / Children of God and Scientology	p. 349
Raising Lazarus: A Methodological Critique of Stephen Kent's Revival of the Brainwashing Model	p. 379
Compelling Evidence: A Rejoinder to Lorne Dawson's Chapter	p. 401
How Concerned Should Society Be?
Child-Rearing Issues in Totalist Groups	p. 415
Contested Narratives: A Case Study of the Conflict Between a New Religious Movement and Its Critics	p. 452
The Roots of Religious Violence in America	p. 478
Appendix	p. 515
Contributors	p. 521
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

Misunderstanding Cults

Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field

At a Glance

Paperback

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

You Can Find This Book In

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