ABSTRACT
This introductory chapter starts by narrating three cases of late 19th/early 20th century religious reformers who gave out mixed messages: they held a number of radical and ‘unorthodox’ ideas but decided that these ideas were not for public consumption. Side by side with their radical private agendas, they publicly pursued much more mainstream ones. Ironically, it was this mainstream message which appealed to their 20th and 21st century spiritual successors, some of whom chose to take a more fundamentalist line. Having thus ushered in the book’s general topic, the chapter briefly introduces the seven reformers to be discussed.
Next comes a working definition of religion which follows the outline of Max Weber. The similarities and differences between Weber’s approach and the one used in this book are mentioned. Following this there is a brief discussion of Immanuel Wallerstein’s concept of geoculture, which will be the guiding thread in the second part of the book. It is argued that Wallerstein’s treatment of his own concept is Eurocentric while this book applies it to a non-Western context.
The Introduction ends with a literature review and an overview of the book’s structure.
