Academic Advocacy for New Religious Movements

This book explores the intersection of advocacy and academic practice within the social sciences, focusing on the ethical dimensions and potential consequences of researchers engaging in political action on behalf of the groups they study. Investigating the ethical and practical implications of advocacy in academic work, specifically within the social sciences. It examines how scholars, guided by their research and vision for social change, engage politically to support the groups they study. The book addresses the debate surrounding academic advocacy: is it harmful or a necessary pursuit? Through a detailed study of a historical advocacy movement, it analyzes the global campaign to gain legitimacy for new religious movements (NRMs) between 1980 and 2000. It is an important read for scholars of New Religious Movements and those interested in the way religion is studied.

Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of Haifa, Israel.

“The present book is valuable because in a single volume it gives the reader the most egregious actions taken by both new religion members and the scholars who study them. … This book has dozens of examples where the author said practically nothing about context.” (W. Michael Ashcraft, Nova Religio, Vol. 29 (2), November, 2025)