Transformations : ‘Religious’ radicalism

This chapter provides an overview of some historical struggles against domination that are based in ‘radical religious’ communities. Yet what qualifies as ‘religious’ and ‘radical’ is very open to interpretation, and typical interpretations of ‘religion’ in particular often betray a colonial mindset which this chapter seeks to problematise. By presenting a deliberately broad range of examples and making the case for a wide definition of ‘religion’, this chapter raises questions about how analytical categories are conceived while also offering some reflections on different types of groups whose visions, practices and holistic worldviews contest dominant orders