Holy ignorance
Book Description
In an era when secularization was expected to diminish religious influence, something unexpected has emerged instead. Renowned scholar Olivier Roy examines how the separation of faith from traditional cultural roots has created unexpected opportunities for fundamentalist movements to flourish across diverse religious traditions.
Roy reveals how modern believers increasingly seek direct, unmediated access to the sacred, often rejecting intellectual approaches to spirituality in favor of immediate religious experience. This phenomenon spans Protestant evangelicalism, Islamic Salafism, and Haredi Judaism, where practitioners either maintain cultural connections through contemporary adaptations or pursue complete spiritual purification that transcends cultural boundaries entirely.
The author demonstrates how faith has become increasingly individualized, disconnected from the ethnic and national identities that once shaped religious practice. This transformation challenges established religious institutions like Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox Christianity, while creating new tensions between religious communities and secular society.
Through careful analysis, Roy explores how governments and societies might respond to these evolving religious movements, weighing approaches that range from integration to control. He examines whether efforts to marginalize or assimilate these groups might further separate believers from their cultural foundations.
This thoughtful examination offers readers insight into the complex relationship between spirituality, culture, and modern society, revealing how the search for authentic religious experience continues to reshape the contemporary spiritual landscape.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~7 hours)
📄 Length: 259 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Religion
- ✓ Explore Religion and sociology
- ✓ Explore Religious aspects
- ✓ Explore Religion and culture
- ✓ Explore Globalization
- ✓ Explore Religiösa aspekter
- ✓ Explore Religion och kultur
- ✓ Explore Inkulturation
