STUDYING US LIKE ANTHROPOLOGISTS - 'THE FUNDAMENTALISMS PROJECT'

TONIGHT'S RADIO PERSPECTIVE:

I will be analyzing and discussing "THE FUNDAMENTALISM PROJECT", something I discovered and started following in the 1980's. Did you know that "scholars" have been tracking and analyzing us as anthropologists? Martin Marty and Scott Appleby of the University of Chicago headed a well funded project to literally and figuratively determine where Biblical literalist bodies are buried. Just like Javier Solana, they fret that we "fundies" are "using the global village to full advantage." Below is an internet found synopsis of that particular project's work:

The Fundamentalism Project: From 1987 to 1995, the Academy undertook a major comparative study of anti-modernist, anti-secular militant religious movements on five continents and within seven world religious traditions. Drawing on the expertise of hundreds of scholars across the globe, the project convened 10 conferences, involved thousands of hours of fieldwork, and examined the nature of fundamentalist movements, their institutions, and their relation to governmental policies. The study revealed similarities among fundamentalist movements, even across religious traditions, and the distinct cultural, social and political contexts in which various movements emerged. This initiative resulted in five encyclopedic scholarly volumes, published as a series; a series of documentary film and radio programs, aired on PBS and NPR, and produced in collaboration with the BBC; a companion book to the television and radio series; and three additional books. The information and analysis produced by this study continue to inform the public agenda as the United States struggles to deal with the impact of religious fundamentalism on international security in the 21st century.

PROJECT DATE: 1987-1995
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS: Martin E. Marty (University of Chicago) and R. Scott Appleby (University of Notre Dame)
RESULTING PUBLICATIONS:
“Fundamentalisms Observed,” eds. Martin E. Marty and R. Scott Appleby. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991. Vol. 1 of series. Winner of the 1991 American Association of Publishers Award for Best Book in Philosophy and Religion.

“Fundamentalisms and Society: Reclaiming the Sciences, the Family, and Education,” eds. Martin E. Marty and R. Scott Appleby. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993. Vol. 2 of series.

“Fundamentalisms and the State: Remaking Polities, Economies, and Militance,” eds. Martin E. Marty and R. Scott Appleby. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993. Vol. 3 of series.

“Accounting for Fundamentalisms: The Dynamic Character of Movements,” eds. Martin E. Marty and R. Scott Appleby. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994. Vol. 4 of series.

“Fundamentalisms Comprehended,” eds. Martin E. Marty and R. Scott Appleby. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995. Vol. 5 of series.
Entire series available from publisher

“Islamic Fundamentalisms and the Gulf Crisis,” ed. James Piscatori. Cambridge: American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1991. (out of print)

“The Glory and the Power: The Fundamentalist Challenge to the Modern World,” by Martin E. Marty and R. Scott Appleby. Boston: Beacon Press, 1992. This book was a companion to a PBS television and NPR radio series developed in connection with the Fundamentalism Project. (out of print)

“Spokesmen for the Despised: Fundamentalist Leaders of the Middle East,” ed. R Scott Appleby. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996. Available from publisher

“Strong Religion: The Rise of Fundamentalisms around the World,” by Gabriel A. Almond, R. Scott Appleby, and Emmanuel Sivan. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2003. Available from publisher.

SOURCE OF FUNDING: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Join the discussion tonight and please -- STAY TUNED!

CONSTANCE