Fundamentalism in Comparative Perspective.

Abstract

Arising from a dispute among conservative American Protestants in the early 20th century, the term "fundamentalist" has been applied in recent years to a wide range of people - Christian, Jewish and Muslim - who have revolted against what they see as the heresies of the modern world. How do various fundamentalisms manifest themselves, and what do they have in common? To what extent is fundamentalism a burgeoning global phenomenon, and to what extent a series of isolated expressions of religious zealotry? These are some of the questions addressed in this book. Essays featured include Leo P. Ribuffo who analyses evangelical Protestantism in America from the late 19th century through the 1950s and Steve Bruce who offers a critique of the new Christian right, which emerged in the 1980s, under the leadership of Jerry Falwell.