Polity publishes a number of textbooks and original works in the area of Religious Studies. Our list is especially rich in books exploring the sociology of religion, including Alan Aldridge’s Religion in the Contemporary World, Steve Bruce’s Fundamentalism and Sutton and Vertigans’ Resurgent Islam.
Polity also publishes a number of Religious Studies texts designed to appeal to a broader readership. Recent highlights have included Hammoudi’s A Season in Mecca, Zeitlin’s The Historical Muhammad and Steve Fuller’s Science vs Religion?
We also publish many leading philosophers and social thinkers whose work is directly relevant to students and scholars of religion, including Jürgen Habermas, Paul Ricoeur and Gianni Vattimo.
Visit our highlights page for more information on our new and forthcoming general interest titles.
Beverley Clack & Brian R. Clack: The Philosophy of Religion 2e
The first publication of Beverley Clack and Brian R. Clack’s exciting and innovative introduction to the philosophy of religion has been of enormous value to students, as well as providing a bold and refreshing alternative to the standard analytic approaches to the subject. This second edition retains the accessibility which made it popular for both teachers and students, while furthering its distinctive argument that emphasises the human dimension of religion.
The text has been fully revised and updated. The traditional emphasis on the arguments for the existence of God is reflected in a newly extended and reworked investigation into natural theology. Recent developments in the subject are also reflected in updated chapters, and, in a move that highlights the originality of the authors’ approach, they offer a critical engagement with current world events. An entirely new concluding chapter interrogates the connection between religion and terror, and demonstrates how philosophy of religion might be conducted under the terrible shadow of 9/11.
This new edition of The Philosophy of Religion will continue to be essential reading for all students and practitioners of the subject.
Alan Aldridge: Religion in the Contemporary World: A Sociological Introduction, Second edition
In the new edition of this widely read text, Alan Aldridge examines the complex realities of religious belief, practice and institutions, ranging from the high growth rates of successful minority religious movements such as Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses, to the phenomenal rise of Pentecostalism, the challenge of ‘fundamentalism’ and the apparent turn from religion to spirituality.
The second edition has been carefully revised to make sure it is fully up-to-date with recent developments and debates. Major themes in the revised edition include religious diversity and its implications for social cohesion, and the paradoxical fate of religion in societies that appear to be obsessed with individualism and consumerism.
Steve Bruce: Fundamentalism 2nd edition
The new edition of Steve Bruces Fundamentalism grapples with the combination of social strains and religious ideas that have produced an explosion of fundamentalist activity in the wake of 9/11.
In a direct and punchy style, the new edition of his book investigates what lies behind the actions of Al-Qaeda, suicide bombings and the war against terror, and also gets to grips with the continuing rise of the Christian Right in the USA. It offers new insights into the Protestant fundamentalism of the American political right-wing, looking at the influence issues such as abortion, gay rights and intelligent design have had on US foreign policy and domestic politics.
Irving M. Zeitlin: The Historical Muhammad
In his quest for the historical Muhammad, Zeitlin’s chief aim is to catch a few reliable glimpses of the birth of Islam and the role played by its extraordinary founder. Islam, as its Prophet came to conceive it, was a strict and absolute monotheism. Zeitlin tries to assess the extent to which these other religious influences shaped the emergence of Islam and the development of the Prophet’s beliefs.
Sutton & Vertigans: Resurgent Islam
The contemporary resurgence of Islam in all of its varied manifestations demands the attention of social scientists. This ground-breaking book provides a unique insight into resurgent Islam from the standpoint of sociology. Clearly written, and jargon free, the book aims to create a more comprehensive and balanced understanding of the recent Islamic resurgence.
Jack Goody: Islam in Europe
This vigorously argued book reveals the central role that Islam has played in European history. Following the movement of people, culture and religion from East to West, Goody breaks down the perceived opposition between Islam and Europe, showing Islam to be a part of Europe’s past and present. In an historical analysis of religious warfare and forced migration, Goody examines our understanding of legitimate violence, ethnic cleansing and terrorism. His comparative perspective offers important and illuminating insights into current political problems and conflicts.
Abdellah Hammoudi: A Season in Mecca: Narrative of a Pilgrimage
Hammoudi describes not just the adventure, the human pressures, and the social tumult-- everything from the early preparations to the last climactic scenes in the holy shrines of Medina and Mecca--but also the intricate politics and amazing complexity of the entire pilgrimage experience. He pays special heed to the effects of Saudi bureaucratic control over the Hajj, to the ways that faith itself becomes a lucrative source of commerce for the Arabian kingdom, and to the Wahhabi inflections of the basic Muslim message.
Akbar Ahmed: Islam Under Siege
"In my view there surely cannot be a more relevant book...written by one of the most distinguished Muslim scholars today...In truth, I cannot think of a more relevant book...Professor Akbar Ahmed offers us a clear vision that has the potential to unite us in common action and purpose. It is one of the most hopeful books as well as one of the most challenging I have read in recent years."
Dr George Carey, The Washington Times
