The New Cold War? Religious Nationalism Confronts the Secular State

The New Cold War examines the rise of religious nationalism as a challenge to secular state authority across multiple regions and faiths. Through case studies and interviews with religious leaders, Juergensmeyer documents how religious movements have emerged as alternative forms of social and political organization. The book analyzes key religious nationalist movements in the Middle East, South Asia, and other regions during the late 20th century. Juergensmeyer explores how these groups reject Western secular governance models while proposing their own visions of religion-based political orders. The narrative tracks how religious nationalists build support, develop ideology, and clash with secular authorities. The text draws from extensive field research and first-hand accounts to illustrate the inner workings of these movements. This work raises fundamental questions about the relationship between religion and the modern nation-state. Through its global comparative approach, the book reveals patterns in how traditional religious identity confronts secular political systems.

Readers find this book provides insight into religious nationalism's rise across multiple regions and faiths. The analysis of case studies from Iran, Israel, India and other nations demonstrates common patterns in how religious movements challenge secular governments. Liked: - Clear explanation of theoretical frameworks - Balanced treatment of different religions - Strong historical context for each conflict - Accessible academic writing style Disliked: - Some content now dated (published 1993) - Middle chapters become repetitive - Limited coverage of certain regions - Conclusion seen as oversimplified by some readers "It helped me understand commonalities between seemingly different religious movements" - Goodreads reviewer "Too focused on structural similarities while missing important distinctions" - Amazon reviewer Ratings: Goodreads: 3.7/5 (47 ratings) Amazon: 4/5 (12 reviews) Google Books: 3.8/5 (6 reviews)

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🔹 The book was published in 1993, at a time when many scholars were just beginning to recognize religious nationalism as a significant global force - making Juergensmeyer's analysis remarkably prescient. 🔹 Mark Juergensmeyer conducted extensive fieldwork in India, Sri Lanka, and the Middle East while researching this book, interviewing both religious leaders and militant activists. 🔹 The term "new Cold War" in the title suggests that religious nationalism could become as significant a global divide as the ideological East-West split of the traditional Cold War - a prediction that many consider accurate given current world events. 🔹 The author demonstrates how secular nationalism, which many assumed would naturally replace religious identity in modern states, has instead often been rejected as a Western imposition by various cultures. 🔹 The book explores how religious nationalist movements in different faiths - including Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity - share surprisingly similar patterns in their opposition to secular government, despite their different theological foundations.