New Religious Movements in Western Europe

The first compilation that brings together publications on New Religious Movements (NRMs) from across Western Europe, this useful work includes titles written in most European languages. The Introduction provides an overview of NRMs since 1960 and places them in a global perspective. The literature, from the late 1970s to the present, covers areas of study such as sociology, psychology, history, theology, and more, and will be of interest to scholars and students in many disciplines. The work is a companion piece to Diane Choquette's New Religious Movements in the United States and Canada: A Critical Assessment (Greenwood, 1985).

The authors, experts in NRMs throughout the world, discuss various explanatory models that account for the emergence of NRMs and look at the way they have spread throughout the countries of Western Europe. Membership and impact are discussed, as well as the response of the wider society. The label new is addressed and some attempts at classification are presented.

ELISABETH ARWECK is completing her Ph.D. on the Response to New Religious Movements in Europe. She has been involved in the work of the Centre for New Religions at King's College London for a number of years. Together with Peter B. Clarke, she coedits the Journal of Contemporary Religion.

PETER B. CLARKE is Professor of the History and Sociology of Religion at King's College London, where he is also Director of the Centre for New Religions and Director of the Japanese New Religions Project. He has published widely on new religious movements, African religion, and Islam.