Overview

Globalisation has become a buzzword that typically refers to the intensifying integration of the world economy, especially as midwifed by technological advances. It also implies a growing political and cultural sense that all humanity is globally interdependent. There have always been individuals of course who have advocated such awareness, one of them being the founder of the Baha'i faith, who formulated a spiritual equivalent as the religion's central doctrine in the late 19th century: 'Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch'. Its emphasis on global unification made Baha'i an obvious candidate for a case study on new religions and globalisation. The chapters in this volume fall into two sections, diachronic and synchronic. The first part is organised chronologically, beginning with the emergence of the globalist tendency in the messianic vision of Babism, the precursor to Baha'i, and concluding with an analytic history of its leaders' changing attitudes to international politics. The second part considers a variety of global themes in contemporary Baha'i practice, including global thought in Baha'i writings, the impact of the internet, and the triumphalist and secular strains in Baha'i identity. Though five million members make it one of the world's most successful new religions, Baha'i has attracted little scholarly attention. Most of the academics concentrating on Baha'i have contributed to this volume, which will appeal not only to students of modern religious movements, but to anyone interested in the ways religions can adapt to -- and embrace -- the modern world.

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Margit Warburg is an associate professor in the sociology of religion at the University of Copenhagen. She serves on the advisory board of the Danish Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs and is co-chair of the academic Research Network on New Religions (RENNER). She has studied Baha'is for nearly twenty-five years. Her investigations have led her to the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa and Baha'i communities in Africa, Asia, and Europe. She is the co-editor with Eileen Barker of New Religions and New Religiosity and the author of books on eastern European Jewry and topics in the sociology of religion.Annika Hvithamar teaches in the Department of History of Religions at Copenhagen University.Morten Warmind teaches in the Department of History of Religions at Copenhagen University.

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