ABSTRACT
In 2001 a book was edited by Ben Zablocki and Tom Robbins and introduced as the longawaited result of a worthy attempt to call to genuine dialogue academic ‘anti-cultists’ and ‘cult apologists’ (with both sides, of course, objecting to such labels), in the hope of finding a ‘moderate’ middle ground. As the project went on (and some scholars, including Eileen Barker, opted out of it for several different reasons), similar results were sought through the participation of cult critics in conferences organised by CESNUR (the Center for Studies on New Religions, based in Italy and whose managing director is the undersigned) and INFORM (the information centre on new religious movements founded by Eileen Barker in London), and of scholars critical of the cult critics in conferences organised by the anti-cult AFF (American Family Foundation).
