Eileen Barker | London School of Economics and Political Science (original) (raw)

Papers by Eileen Barker

Studying Religion and Society, 2012

All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and thei... more All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts. (Shakespeare (1623) As You Like It, Act II Scene VII) I never planned to be a sociologist of religionindeed, I never planned to be an academic. I didn't get an undergraduate degree until I was 32. My desire had always been to go on the stage and at school I studied for A levels in zoology, physics, and chemistry because my parents said they would pay for me to go to drama school only if I had something to fall back on when I realized my mistake. They assumed that, like the rest of my family, I would want to study medicine. During two happy years at drama school we learnt "the Method," avidly reading Stanislavski 1 and delving into our psyches to unearth the passions of tragic heroines and murderous villains. But we also learnt how to master a number of basic techniques: how to speak in a variety of accents and dialects; how to sit gracefully in a crinoline; how to project our voices to the back of the "gods"; 2 how to fire gunsand how to breathe in, then exhale on a laugh. We took classes in ballet, fencing, makeup, falling without hurting ourselves, and slapping faces without hurting the slappee. I then spent the next five years playing a variety of roles in theaters throughout Britain and, occasionally, overseas. There was, for example, a delightful season in Valetta where I played "sweet little Cicely" in The Importance of being Earnest and Frankie Howerd's girlfriend in Charlie's Aunt. I little thought that nearly half a century later I would return to give a lecture attended by Malta's President on the topic of "Cults, Sects and New Religious Movements." My career came to what I thought would be a temporary halt when my daughter became severely ill. I became a suburban housewife discussing how to make marrow

華人宗教研究, Nov 1, 2013

The results of the Religious Experience Survey in Taiwan (REST) can provide a stimulating challen... more The results of the Religious Experience Survey in Taiwan (REST) can provide a stimulating challenge for Western scholars attempting a scientific study of religion. Too often it has been assumed that religious experiences are little more than the objective phenomena of participants attending a social ritual that involve the worship of a God or some transcendental being(s). With a few notable exceptions, the subjective experiences of individuals have been all but ignored by social scientists until quite recently. This paper begins by considering the limitations of a social science with a discussion of social phenomena as processes of construction that are, intrinsically, both objective and subjective. It is argued that, while we need to take seriously a person’s account of his or her experiences, we can also examine the ways in which (relatively) objective phenomena, including social processes, might encourage or discourage subjective experiences. The paper then turns the argument on its head by examining some of the studies of psychologists and neuroscientists which suggest that much of what we consider to be an objective physical reality is more or less selectively constructed by the visual (and auditory) person who is “doing” the seeing (or hearing). There follows a brief glance at some of the reactions to and consequences of what have been perceived to be “religious experiences”. Taken as a whole, the paper can be summed up as an exploration of some of the paradoxes and tensions to be found around boundaries that attempt to distinguish an objective “out there” phenomenon from a subjective “in here” experience.

Sacred Sites and Sacred Stories Across Cultures, 2021

Routledge eBooks, Jan 21, 2011

Jesus was undoubtedly a problemas were the early Christians, Mohammed and the early Muslims, and ... more Jesus was undoubtedly a problemas were the early Christians, Mohammed and the early Muslims, and Wesley and the early Methodists. Today, L. Ron Hubbard and the Church of Scientology, Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam, Li Hongzhi and Falun Gong; Osama bin Laden and Al Qaida have all been considered a threat not only to their individual followers but also to the very fabric of society. Indeed, throughout history, religious leaders and the movements to which they have given rise have been perceived to be social problems by those who are sure that they know another, truer Truth, and a different, better way of life than that proposed by the new religion. This chapter is concerned not so much with religion per se being considered a problem, but with constructions of images of 'wrong' or 'bad' religions as social problems. Indeed, an integral part of these constructions usually implies the contemporaneous existence of 'good' and 'true' religion as something to be protected and clearly differentiated from bad or false religions, which, in order to avoid confusion, can be denied the label religion and, in the popular parlance of the day, branded as cults or (more commonly for Frenchspeakers) sects. Cults, sects and new religious movements Most lay understandings of the terms 'cult' and 'sect' start from an assumption that the movements are social problems. Exactly what kind of problems they are thought to pose may vary, but these can include imputations of heretical beliefs, political intrigue, child abuse, criminal activity, financial irregularity, the breaking up of families, sexual perversion, medical quackery, and/or the employment of mind control or brainwashing techniques.

New Religious Movements, 2012

e-Rhizome, 2020

Hundreds of thousands of new religious movements (NRMs) have made an appearance throughout the wo... more Hundreds of thousands of new religious movements (NRMs) have made an appearance throughout the world since time immemorial. The majority of them have gathered only a small following for a generation or two, but then they are more likely than not to die out and be forgotten. Many of them do manage, however, to leave a legacy that makes its mark on the wider society, which often forgets their origin. This paper looks at some of those legacies in an attempt to indicate the broad range of innovations that have emanated from some of the more recent religious manifestations during their early years.

Reactions to the Law by Minority Religions, 2020

There have always been freethinkers, dissenters and atheists - these were certainly to be found i... more There have always been freethinkers, dissenters and atheists - these were certainly to be found in ancient Greece, but following Constantine’s conversion to Christianity, admission to any doubts about the existence of God could, for several centuries, be to risk one’s life, and certainly it would have been to risk exclusion from many aspects of social life right into the twentieth century. Indeed, although there is no official law against it, it would currently be well-nigh impossible for a professed atheist to be elected to the most powerful office in the world: the U.S. Presidency.

LSE has developed LSE Research Online so that users may access research output of the School. Cop... more LSE has developed LSE Research Online so that users may access research output of the School. Copyright © and Moral Rights for the papers on this site are retained by the individual authors and/or other copyright owners. Users may download and/or print one copy of any article(s) in LSE Research Online to facilitate their private study or for non-commercial research. You may not engage in further distribution of the material or use it for any profit-making activities or any commercial gain. You may freely distribute the URL (http://eprints.lse.ac.uk) of the LSE Research Online website.

Encyclopedia of Latin American Religions, 2019

Temenos - Nordic Journal of Comparative Religion, 2002

No abstract available

Temenos - Nordic Journal of Comparative Religion, 2015

New religious movements (NRMs) tend to exhibit certain characteristics that change with the arriv... more New religious movements (NRMs) tend to exhibit certain characteristics that change with the arrival of second and subsequent generations. The paper explores some of the internally motivated revisions that may be due to demographic changes or disappointed expectations, and some of the changes brought about through the economic, political, technological, legal and cultural influences from the wider society. Although there are always exceptions, unqualified boundaries tend to become more porous and negotiable as the movements accommodate to the outside world and ‘denominationalise’. The paper ends with a brief description of some of the more general changes in ‘the cult scene’ over the past 40 years.

Scripta Instituti Donneriani Aboensis, 2006

In this article the author considers some of the ways in which those with religious authority mig... more In this article the author considers some of the ways in which those with religious authority might exercise their power by persuading believers to perform actions that they (the believers) would not have dreamed of performing had not justifications been presented to them in the name of religion. There are, of course, reasons other than religion – love and money, to take but two obvious examples – that lead people to do things that they would not otherwise have done, but religion would seem to add that extra something (for good or evil) that can inspire people to believe and act with an added fervour, an extra commitment, and an extra disregard for other considerations. If we really believe that it is God who wants us to do something then we are more likely to do it (or at least feel more guilty if we do not do it) than if George or Tony or even our guru asks us to do it – unless we believe that our guru is God, or is the only one with a direct hotline to Him (or Her). We may even ...

Society Register, 2018

The Unification Church, or the Unificationism, also known as HAS-UWC (Holy Spirit Association fo... more The Unification Church, or the Unificationism, also known as HAS-UWC (Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity) or ‘Moonies’ (the term deemed now as disrespectful) but originating from the name of the founder Sun Myung Moon, who set up this Christian religious movement in Northern Korea in 1954 has approximately 3 million followers worldwide. Its existence and popularity are a global phenomenon, interesting not only for sociologists of religion but for politicians, philosophers and people of faith. The impact of this movement and the two-way social change remain a rare subject of study and this paper aims to fill the gaps and to discuss contemporary situation in regards to its followers.

Religion and Society, 2018

I wish I had been present at the 1993 annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of R... more I wish I had been present at the 1993 annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion (SSSR) when Professor Eileen Barker delivered her subversive presidential address: “The Scientific Study of Religion? You Must Be Joking!” I imagine that not all audience members were delighted. The address lives up to its billing, driving a cart and horses through pervasive positivistic assumptions in the study of religion and ushering in a very different approach. I will not pretend that it changed my life the first time I read it, but I have gone back to it time and again, and it continues to illuminate and inspire.

Methodological Innovations Online, 2011

The paper describes how the author's research into a new religious movement in the 1970s led to h... more The paper describes how the author's research into a new religious movement in the 1970s led to her finding herself a player in the 'cult wars', with a variety of different groups competing to have their constructions of images of the movements accepted by policy makers and the general public. The main players were the movements themselves, their opponents in the form of various 'cult-watching groups', and the media. Critical of the selective nature of the images, and concerned about the impact that these were having on 'the cult scene', the author founded Inform, an independent NGO that draws upon the methodology of the social sciences to provide information about minority religions that is as reliable and objective as possible. The paper describes some of the battles that ensued, focussing on methodological issues that have confronted her as she has pursued her research outside the Ivory Tower.

International Journal for the Study of New Religions, 2010

In a world in which we are faced with an ever-increasing religious diversity, the underlying assu... more In a world in which we are faced with an ever-increasing religious diversity, the underlying assumption of this paper is that logical thought combined with accurate and reliable knowledge can make a significant contribution to the reduction of conflicts that arise through fallacious arguments and through both ignorance and misinformation of the beliefs and practices of religions other than one’s own. The paper summarizes some of the challenges of religious pluralism, demonstrating how tensions can arise and be exacerbated through the construction of negative images of ‘the other’, and outlines some of the common misconceptions that have led to conflicts and the abuse of the human rights of members of minority religions.

Le 25 juillet 1998, à l'initiative du Groupe de Recherches en Sciences de la Religion de l'Univer... more Le 25 juillet 1998, à l'initiative du Groupe de Recherches en Sciences de la Religion de l'Université Laval et à l'occasion du XIV e congrès mondial de Sociologie, se tenait à l'Université du Québec à Montréal un séminaire international d'une journée consacré au thème de l'innovation religieuse dans l'espace public. Une dizaine de chercheurs et de professionnels, ayant tous une connaissance directe du phénomène de même qu'une longue expérience de sa diversité et de sa complexité, ont répondu à l'invitation de réfléchir à la genèse de formes inédites d'être religieux dans le monde contemporain. Le présent ouvrage porte le fruit de leurs réflexions. Un double impératif, présence et actualité de l'action religieuse émergente, guide nos travaux. Présence d'une quête de sens aux proportions étonnantes, d'une aire de conversation en religion généralisée à l'espace planétaire, mais le plus souvent pensée dans les limites de tribulations personnelles et communautaires. Actualité médiatisée du suicide-homicide à l'intérieur de certains groupements : Waco, Ordre du Temple Solaire, Porte du Ciel. Actualisations, dans l'espace commun, de visées à changer la vie ou à changer de vie. Originale, insolite, renaissante, l'action religieuse émergente bouscule les habitudes, ébranle les certitudes, construit ici, maintenant, l'autre monde. Peut-on courir le risque ? Voilà que la question se pose et se résout en rumeurs publiques, poursuites judiciaires et tensions scolaires, lesquelles mettent à nu des mécanismes inédits d'institutionnalisation de l'expérience religieuse en modernité : groupes tactiques d'intervention, cellules gouvernementales de crise, commissions parlementaires, cercles technocratiques précurseurs d'ingénierie pluraliste. Sur fonds de traditions religieuses, nationales ou républicaines avec la perspective de la menace sectaire, s'esquisse sous nos yeux un religieux correct et acceptable. Comment est-il possible aujourd'hui d'inscrire l'exceptionnel, l'originel, le merveilleux, le transcendant religieux dans le quotidien ? Et dans quelle mesure, paradoxalement, les gestionnaires de dieux ne repoussent-ils pas toujours plus loin la frontière religieuse ?