Description
- Abstract:
- How do we know a cult is a cult? What social power does religious categorization have outside of academic debates? After a chance encounter with the "local cult" in my hometown in Plymouth County, MA, I became fascinated with these questions. Through historical analysis from the Pilgrims to the "Spotlight" article, field notes from visits to a new religious movement, and personal narratives about growing up in Plymouth County, we see the deep connections between religious categorization and the material power and influence held by certain religious groups. This thesis challenges the perceived objectivity of categorization and hopes to reveal the underlying influences that make religious categorization so volatile.
- Notes:
- Senior thesis (AB)--Brown University, 2023
- Concentration: Religious Studies
Access Conditions
- Use and Reproduction
- All rights reserved
- Rights
- In Copyright
- Restrictions on Use
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Citation
Coady, John Simeon,
"All My Enemies Are Cultists: The Social Weaponization of Religious Categorization As Seen In Plymouth, MA"
(2023).
Religious Studies Theses and Dissertations.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:6rd24tc7/
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Collection:
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Religious Studies Theses and Dissertations
Theses and Dissertations for the Religious Studies department....