Description
The Church of Scientology is one of the most recognizable American-born new religions, but perhaps the least understood. With academic and popular interest on the rise, many books have been written about Scientology and surely more will follow. Although academics have begun to pay more attention to Scientology, the subject has received remarkably little qualitative attention. Indeed, no work has systematically addressed such questions as: what do Scientologists themselves have to say about their religion's history, theology, and practices? How does Scientology act as a religion for them? What does "lived religion" look like for a Scientologist? This is not so much a book about the Church of Scientology, its leaders, or its controversies, as it is a compilation of narratives and histories based on the largely unheard or ignored perspectives of Scientologists themselves. Drawing on six years of interviews, fieldwork, and research conducted among members of the Church of Scientology, this groundbreaking work examines features of the new religion's history, theology, and praxis in ways that move discussion beyond apostate-driven and expose accounts.
About the Author
Donald A. Westbrook (Ph.D. Claremont Graduate University) has taught at UCLA, Cal State Fullerton, Fuller Seminary, and is affiliated with the Faculty for the Comparative Study of Religion and Humanism (FVG) in Antwerp, Belgium.
Reviews
He [Westbrook] masterfully navigates through key aspects and episodes of the complex discursive universe that constitutes Scientology. Upon reading the book, readers will surely agree with Westbrook that there is "no shortage of avenues for academic exploration." This book will be the new departure point for scholars of Scientology. * Lukas Pokorny, University of Vienna , Religious Studies Review *
Immensely readable and informative. * Brian Collins, Religious Studies Review *
Upon reading the book, readers will surely agree with Westbrook that there is "no shortage of avenues for academic exploration." This book will be the new departure point for scholars of Scientology. * Lukas Pokorny, University of Vienna, Religious Studies Review *
Westbrook's work is not only engaging but provides incredible illumination on the lived religious experience of Scientologists and most definitely achieves its aims. I recommend this outstanding work to any researcher who wishes to understand Scientology and to separate its history, theology and praxis from its controversial quagmire. * Alana Louise Bowden, University of Sydney, Fieldwork in Religion *
Among the Scientologists is, in many ways, a groundbreaking work. In the academic study of Scientology, it is likely to become a standard reference... * Fredrik Gregorius, Linkoeping University, International Journal for the Study of New Religions *
This book is a first-rate introduction to Scientology, making its convoluted tenets and history remarkably clear and accessible. * Clement William Grene, Reviews in Religion and Theology *
[T]his book is a valuable addition to the historical record of Scientology, clearly written, expressing some diversity of views within the population of current members, and connecting to the wider scholarly literature. * William Sims Bainbridge, Sociology of Religion *
As for Donald Westbrook, he has entered the ranks of those scholars who have produced laudable scholarship their first time out. This book is a magnificent testimony to his years of labor. It should be required reading for anyone approaching Scientology for research purposes, but it is also very accessible and would provide the casually interested reader with hours of discovery about Scientology. If any of my students want a better understanding of Scientology, I will direct them to this volume. * W. Michael Ashcraft, Nova Religio *
Westbrook has crafted a book that is informative, insightful, and accessible. It is a book to which I will refer interested students, and it is a book that sets the stage for further academic studies on Scientology as a young and growing religious movement. * Kipp Gilmore-Clough, Religion *
Thankfully for scholars of religion, Donald Westbrook's Among the Scientologists takes a different path and asks a question that all the many exposes seem to ignore * Brian Collins, Religious Studies Review *
Westbrook has produced a seriously important book that should be mandatory reading for all interested in the Church of Scientology, and new religious movements generally. It is highly recommended. * Carole M. Cusack, University of Sydney, Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review *
Among the Scientologists excels in clarity, treading the fine line between offering an in-depth study of the CoS [Church of Scientology] for scholars of Scientology on the one hand, and providing an accessible (yet detailed) introduction to those new to the subject on the other * Aled J. Ll. Thomas, Correspondences: Journal for the Study of Esotericism *
Scientology has been the subject of little academic study...Donald A. Westbrook's Among the Scientologists: History, Theology, and Praxis is therefore a much-needed contribution to the scholarly study of Scientology...[This book] will hopefully encourage other scholars to also turn their attention to Scientology as a topic for study. * Aled J. Ll. Thomas, Correspondences: Journal for the Study of Esotericism *
Among the Scientologists will supersede previous works on the church (including my own) and provide the new foundation for future explorations of what has become one of the most successful expressions of Western Gnostic Esotericism. * J. Gordon Melton, The Journal of CESNUR *
Westbrook's treatment raises Scientology studies to an entirely new level. * Temenos: Nordic Journal of Comparative Religion *
Book Information
ISBN 9780190664978
Author Donald Westbrook
Format Hardback
Page Count 352
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 590g
Dimensions(mm) 163mm * 241mm * 28mm
About the Author
Donald A. Westbrook (Ph.D. Claremont Graduate University) has taught at UCLA, Cal State Fullerton, Fuller Seminary, and is affiliated with the Faculty for the Comparative Study of Religion and Humanism (FVG) in Antwerp, Belgium.
Reviews
He [Westbrook] masterfully navigates through key aspects and episodes of the complex discursive universe that constitutes Scientology. Upon reading the book, readers will surely agree with Westbrook that there is "no shortage of avenues for academic exploration." This book will be the new departure point for scholars of Scientology. * Lukas Pokorny, University of Vienna , Religious Studies Review *
Immensely readable and informative. * Brian Collins, Religious Studies Review *
Upon reading the book, readers will surely agree with Westbrook that there is "no shortage of avenues for academic exploration." This book will be the new departure point for scholars of Scientology. * Lukas Pokorny, University of Vienna, Religious Studies Review *
Westbrook's work is not only engaging but provides incredible illumination on the lived religious experience of Scientologists and most definitely achieves its aims. I recommend this outstanding work to any researcher who wishes to understand Scientology and to separate its history, theology and praxis from its controversial quagmire. * Alana Louise Bowden, University of Sydney, Fieldwork in Religion *
Among the Scientologists is, in many ways, a groundbreaking work. In the academic study of Scientology, it is likely to become a standard reference... * Fredrik Gregorius, Linkoeping University, International Journal for the Study of New Religions *
This book is a first-rate introduction to Scientology, making its convoluted tenets and history remarkably clear and accessible. * Clement William Grene, Reviews in Religion and Theology *
[T]his book is a valuable addition to the historical record of Scientology, clearly written, expressing some diversity of views within the population of current members, and connecting to the wider scholarly literature. * William Sims Bainbridge, Sociology of Religion *
As for Donald Westbrook, he has entered the ranks of those scholars who have produced laudable scholarship their first time out. This book is a magnificent testimony to his years of labor. It should be required reading for anyone approaching Scientology for research purposes, but it is also very accessible and would provide the casually interested reader with hours of discovery about Scientology. If any of my students want a better understanding of Scientology, I will direct them to this volume. * W. Michael Ashcraft, Nova Religio *
Westbrook has crafted a book that is informative, insightful, and accessible. It is a book to which I will refer interested students, and it is a book that sets the stage for further academic studies on Scientology as a young and growing religious movement. * Kipp Gilmore-Clough, Religion *
Thankfully for scholars of religion, Donald Westbrook's Among the Scientologists takes a different path and asks a question that all the many exposes seem to ignore * Brian Collins, Religious Studies Review *
Westbrook has produced a seriously important book that should be mandatory reading for all interested in the Church of Scientology, and new religious movements generally. It is highly recommended. * Carole M. Cusack, University of Sydney, Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review *
Among the Scientologists excels in clarity, treading the fine line between offering an in-depth study of the CoS [Church of Scientology] for scholars of Scientology on the one hand, and providing an accessible (yet detailed) introduction to those new to the subject on the other * Aled J. Ll. Thomas, Correspondences: Journal for the Study of Esotericism *
Scientology has been the subject of little academic study...Donald A. Westbrook's Among the Scientologists: History, Theology, and Praxis is therefore a much-needed contribution to the scholarly study of Scientology...[This book] will hopefully encourage other scholars to also turn their attention to Scientology as a topic for study. * Aled J. Ll. Thomas, Correspondences: Journal for the Study of Esotericism *
Among the Scientologists will supersede previous works on the church (including my own) and provide the new foundation for future explorations of what has become one of the most successful expressions of Western Gnostic Esotericism. * J. Gordon Melton, The Journal of CESNUR *
Westbrook's treatment raises Scientology studies to an entirely new level. * Temenos: Nordic Journal of Comparative Religion *
Book Information
ISBN 9780190664978
Author Donald Westbrook
Format Hardback
Page Count 352
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 590g
Dimensions(mm) 163mm * 241mm * 28mm
