New book on ‘cult’ rhetoric in the 21st century
The Centre for Religion and Public Life is pleased to announce the publication of ‘Cult’ Rhetoric in the 21stCentury: Deconstructing the Study of New Religious Movements
The Centre for Religion and Public Life is pleased to announce the publication of ‘Cult’ Rhetoric in the 21stCentury: Deconstructing the Study of New Religious Movements (Bloomsbury Academic, 2024), edited by Aled Thomas (University of Leeds Teaching Fellow and CRPL researcher), and Edward Graham-Hyde (Associate Lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire and Senior Researcher at Church Army).
This is the inaugural volume in a new Bloomsbury/Inform (Information Network Focus on Religious Movements) series, ‘Religion at the Boundaries’, exploring emerging forms of religion, spirituality, and belief, which lie beyond the mainstream.
‘Cult’ Rhetoric in the 21st Century seeks to renew conversations around new religious movements (NRMs), specifically normative ‘cultic’ language and frameworks in contemporary society. Recent years have seen a rise in the deployment of ‘cult’ rhetoric in public discourse that moves beyond moral panics surrounding new religions and towards hybrids of political/religious movements.
Ranging from the ‘Cult of COVID’ and the ‘Cult of Trump’, including mass media campaigns, it is a common occurrence to see ‘cult’ rhetoric deployed in many aspects of public life. Bringing together scholars from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds (including sociology, anthropology, psychology, and religious studies), the book aims to provide a nuanced and interdisciplinary discussion of contemporary ‘cult’ rhetoric, offering new avenues and directions for the study of contemporary religion (broadly conceived).
Topics covered include the ‘cult’ of QAnon and Trump; the empowering use of the term ‘cult’ for survivors of abuse; the history of ‘cult’ rhetoric; satanic panics; ‘apostate’ testimony; working with media sources on ‘cult’ stories; and pedagogical issues in the teaching of new religions.
One chapter, with the title 'Cults of Conspiracy and the (On-Going) Satanic Panic,' is by our own CRPL PGR Bethan Oake! (Bethan was also our Researcher of the Month.)
The editors hope that the book will be another step in building bridges in increasingly unhelpful divisions between NRM Studies and Cult Studies, promoting a collaborative approach which places emphasis on the lived experiences of both members and ex-members of minority religions/groups.
The book was launched last month at the British Association for the Study of Religions conference at the University of Leeds, with several contributors in attendance. A sample can be read here. More about the work of Inform, the educational charity specialising in disseminating accurate and up-to-date information on minority religions, can be found here.
Aled Thomas is a member of Inform's management committee.
