How is religion changing in the twenty-first century? In the global era, religion has leapt onto the world stage, often in contradictory ways. Some religious activists are antagonistic and engage in protests, violent acts, and political challenges. Others are positive and help to shape an emerging transnational civil society. In addition, a new global religion may be in the making, providing a moral and spiritual basis for a worldwide community of concern about environmental issues, human rights, and international peace. God in the Tumult of the Global Square explores all of these directions, based on a five-year Luce Foundation project that involved religious leaders, scholars, and public figures in workshops held in Cairo, Moscow, Delhi, Shanghai, Buenos Aires, and Santa Barbara. In this book, the voices of these religious observers around the world express both the hopes and fears about new forms of religion in the global age.
About the Author
Mark Juergensmeyer is Professor of Sociology and Global Studies and Founding Director and Fellow of the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Dinah Griego is Project Coordinator of the Luce Project on the Role of Religion in Global Civil Society at the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
John Soboslai is a PhD candidate in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Thinking about Religion in the Global Age
1 • The Social Turmoil of the Twenty-First Century: Crises of Identity, Accountability, and Security
2 • Religion Tumbles and Turns: How Religion Has Been Affected by Global Forces
3 • Religion Resists and Soothes: Religious Responses to Globalization
4 • Cosmopolitan Religion at Work: How Religious Values Support Global Citizenship
5 • The Annoying Certainty of Global Views: The Dangers of Cultural Imperialism
Conclusion: God in the Global Square
Notes
Bibliography
List of Workshop Participants
Index
