Globalization and New Religious Movements

Abstract

After clarifications of certain concepts like, religious movements, sects, cults, and boundaries, the chapter studies how and under what social and cultural conditions new religious movements got to develop from mid-twentieth century, and how they negotiate global conditions and succeed to attract followers across the world. The chapter examines two types of new religious movements, namely the ones originating from the traditional world religions finding new expressions under globalization, as well as totally new forms of religious movements with little connection to the classical religions. Both these kinds of movements, now transnational, originate from the Global South. The chapter also seeks to interpret the phenomenon of new religious movements under globalizing conditions. In this regard, various theories, including the impact of postmodernism, are examined. The chapter shows the difference in approach to new religious movements in the Global North and South, and this relates, among other things, to how deviance and heterodoxy are interpreted differently. The chapter also highlights the ambiguities and bright spots of new religious movements and reflects on the future prospects of these new movements.KeywordsNew religious movementsCultsSectsReligious boundariesInterpreting new religious movementsNew religious movements and postmodernismNon-Eurocentric interpretationsReligious movements and ambiguitiesFuture of religious movements