Review: Reactions to the Law by Minority Religions, edited by Eileen Barker and James T. Richardson

Abstract

Reactions to the Law by Minority Religions is the third volume in a series of books initiated by INFORM devoted to the issue of minority religions and law. (INFORM is an independent educational charity based in London that focuses on minority religions and sects.) As co-editor Eileen Barker puts it, previous volumes published in the series have mainly concentrated on the place of minority religions in various political and legal contexts, while this latest book focuses on the way minority religions have reacted to the law. This volume enlarges research into minority religions by considering the wider picture of religion, law, and politics, particularly by providing the perspectives of minority religions to these social institutions and interactions with them. The editors have expanded the circle of contributors by inviting not only scholars from various disciplines—such as sociologists, anthropologists, lawyers—but other professionals as well as the members of minority religions. In other words, readers will find chapters written by scholars engaged for a long time in research on minority religions along with chapters written by human rights’ activists and adherents of minority religions.The book contains thirteen papers, providing wide range of perspectives into the way minority religions have reacted to the law in diverse geographical areas and different political systems, including democratic and authoritarian countries. Global north societies, however, are mainly represented. Groups covered include Japanese Tenrikyo and Aum Shinrikyo, the Estonian pagan group House of Tara, the Doukhobors in Canada, the Church of Almighty God in China, and the Unification Church, Scientology, Jehovah Witnesses, Essenes, and others. Contributors examine a variety of minority religions and their attempts to respond to the law, to challenge existing legal norms, and to find their own place in the existing legal frameworks. The cases discussed involve the reader in the historical circumstances of social inclusion of minority religions and very recent attempts by Western countries to exclude minority religions persecuted in authoritarian countries. In addition, the volume provides an overview of minority religions’ attempts to secure their rights with the help of international institutions, such as the Council of Europe, the European Court of Human Rights, and the United Nations. Finally, the book concludes with helpful theoretical generalizations on the way minority religions react to the law in contemporary society.In general, the volume is grounded on rich material based on various methodological approaches that contain historical and recent legal document and literature analyses, as well as empirical research with interviews and participant observation. The reader is able to compare and contrast how diverse minority religions act under various social and political conditions, and to consider what measures are taken in the fights for their rights. The strength of the volume lies in the assortment of cases, countries, and approaches, but one may also say that weakness also lies within the same diversity, as usually it might be seen as limiting more in-depth analysis. The evaluation at this point would depend on the position of the scholar and their expectations for the volume. In my opinion, the theoretical background for this book is solid and empirically grounded. The wealth of material presented invites the reader to contemplate further applications in future research.Reactions to the Law by Minority Religions contributes to understanding minority religions, their role and place in contemporary societies and states. It might well serve as a handbook for scholars of religions, sociologists, anthropologists, lawyers, and political scientists working in the field of religion, law, and politics. The variety of cases analyzed might be valuable material for courses in sociology, anthropology, political science, and law. The contributions from members of minority religions and their interpretations might serve as a solid background for additional research into those groups and their relations with society and state. Finally, the volume should be of interest for general readers looking at the way minority religions find their way through various legal and political contexts. By doing so, readers are reminded of the complicated issues that majority/minority boundaries create and how much effort and how many sacrifices minority religions might need to make in order to be recognized.