Aled Thomas is a Teaching Fellow in the Study of Religion at the University of Leeds, UK. He is the author of Free Zone Scientology: Contesting the Boundaries of a New Religion (Bloomsbury, 2021). Edward Graham-Hyde is an Associate Lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire, UK and Treasurer of the Information Network Focus on Religious Movements (Inform).
This is an important book because it charts a middle way between scholars of New Religious Movements (NRMs), ‘Cultic Studies’ scholars and ex-members of NRMs ... It establishes a course for a more inclusive and empathetic study of NRMs. * Carole M. Cusack, The University of Sydney, Australia * Part critical history, part call to action, ‘Cult’ Rhetoric is a must-read for scholars wishing to move the study of minority religions forward in the twenty-first century. Providing a range of perspectives, its contributors analyse the many ways that scholars – as well as government officials, law enforcement agents, psychologists, the media, and others – shape popular understanding of cults. * Rebecca Moore, San Diego State University, USA *