Brahma Kumaris as a ‘Reflexive Tradition’

'John Walliss has made a highly original contribution to sociological studies of religion by challenging much of the received wisdom about the static character of tradition and the destructive effects of modernity. His book is successful at two levels. It reintegrates important issues of theory into the sociology of religion; and it provides rich empirical information about a fascinating religious movement, the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. This combination of theory and analysis is all the more welcome for being clear, lively and concise. This book should be required reading for all students of modern religion.' James A. Beckford, Professor of Sociology, University of Warwick '... Walliss has been successful in constructing a theoretically firmly based foundation for his target set.' Paul van der Velde, Nijmegen University, The Netherlands

• Contents: Introduction - responding to late modernity; Beyond tradition and modernity; Reflexive traditions and the New Age religious life; From world-rejection to ambivalence: a genealogy of the Brahma Kumaris; The ascetic and the instrumental: two contemporary renditions of Raja Yoga; Users, drifters and searchers: a typology of Brahma Kumaris membership patterns; Manifesting ambivalence: the pursuit of the millennium; Conclusion - in search of post-traditional religiosity; Bibliography; Index.