Neoliberal Religion: Faith and Power in the Twenty-First Century

Description

Mathew Guest explores neo-liberalism as an account of contemporary western society and considers what this means for our understanding of religion. The rise of free market economics in western culture is associated with the celebration of competition and prioritization of consumer choices as cultural phenomena that profoundly influence human experience in all areas of life. However, several global political changes – including the election of Donald Trump as US president, ‘brexit’, and the rise of right-wing populism across continental Europe – point to a counter-response. This response emphasizes nativist forms of identity and the affirmation of narrow cultural or ethnic boundaries. Together they reflect a complex and seismic shift in assumptions about the role of the state and the future of social order within developed societies. A crisis in the status of the mass media and the rising prominence of social media add further elements of uncertainty into an already destabilized context. This book is an accessible, topical discussion of a new set of tools and approaches to understanding contemporary religion and religious movements. In addition, Mathew Guest introduces a number of sociological and ethical questions that arise from considering the status of religion within a neo-liberal age. Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1: Religion in a neoliberal age Chapter 2: Religion and the market: Religious diversity in neoliberal contexts Chapter 3: Religion and populism Chapter 4: Religion in the post-truth era Chapter 5: Securitization: New forms of state engagement Chapter 6: Religion and the entrepreneurial self Chapter 7: Power and religious difference Chapter 8: The secular and the non-religious in neoliberal contexts Chapter 9: Retrieving ethics for the sociology of religion References Index