ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines more current developments in the study of social and religious movements. It addresses two concepts that often have been used about movements that do not belong to the mainstream, namely fundamentalism and radicalization. Since violent religious movements are often ignored in introductions to the sociology of religion, the chapter describes some in more details that are found within Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Buddhism. It discusses different approaches used to explain religious violent movements. A viable question is if scholars should avoid the use of concepts like fundamentalism and radicalization. Perhaps the most important issue is to understand that these concepts are not absolute but need to be defined and used with caution. At the same time, many scholars find that concepts can be fruitful as sensitizing tools in distinguishing between different types of religious movements and groups. The chapter looks at definitions of violence and religious violence.
