• DOI:10.1080/13537903.2019.1585057
• Corpus ID: 150609792

A Historical Introduction to the Study of New Religious Movements

@article{Shipley2019AHI,
  title={A Historical Introduction to the Study of New Religious Movements},
  author={Morgan Shipley},
  journal={Journal of Contemporary Religion},
  year={2019},
  volume={34},
  pages={226 - 228}
}

• M. Shipley
• Published 2 January 2019
• Education
• Journal of Contemporary Religion

and knowledge transmission” (216, emphasis in original). Thus it is their contention that “English today could be as significant as Persian was in the past as a vehicle for generating new thinking for emerging Muslim elites” (x). There are statements that ‘spring out from the page’, such as the judgement that there is an “increasing trend of Muslims writing about love” (202). Specialists in the field will undoubtedly find gaps in the authors’ survey as well as interpretations, judgements, and emphases that they would wish to challenge. For example, their critical references to the continuing use of memorisation as a mode of learning are too stark and dismissive. Also, what is the evidence for the statement that “Muslim women form the majority of those with an exploratory identity” (79)? Nevertheless, the authors’ claim that this book will supply accessible material for a range of people—including teachers, social workers, journalists, and politicians working with Muslim communities—who are “frequently bombarded with contradictory images of Islam and British Muslims” (v) is amply justified. The book will provide such readers with a very informative survey at first reading and with an excellent reference source beyond that.