Fundamentalism in the Modern World Vol 2

'Fundamentalists have always been media-hungry. This book adds complexity and depth to this insight by highlighting how, in a world of proliferating satellite TV programmes, facebook networking and internet communication, the media wars between fundamentalists not only shape but are shaped by the powerful desires of audiences. In analysing the expansion of the public sphere to an international stage, and its sophisticated grasp of arguments on multiculturalism, this scholarly and timely collection moves beyond the 1980s Chicago fundamentalist project. Like that earlier project, the value of the book is in its comparative look at the New Christian Right, Islamist and Buddhist movements in different parts of world. But in interrogating the truth that the media is the message, this book presents original, fine-grained analyses of such hidden debates as the "chaos of fatwas", generated by the multiplication of Islamic channels, the argument between Salafis over the legitimacy of watching (or not watching) the World Cup in football-mad Saudi Arabia, or the spectacular theatrical, ritual dimensions of mass praying in front of hallowed Christian sites. Such scholarly gems make this book a richly documented, fascinating and memorable read for anyone interested in the paradoxes, dilemmas and ambiguities of fundamentalist thought and practice in the twenty-first century.' - Pnina Werbner, Professor Emerita in Social Anthropology, Keele University