Böcker av Olivier Roy

In a new, revised edition of his acclaimed book, Olivier Roy examines the political development of central Asia, from Russian conquests to the "War on Terror” and beyond.During the anti-Gorbachev coup in August 1991, most communist leaders from Soviet central Asia backed the plotters. Within weeks of the coup's collapse, those same leaders—now transformed into ardent nationalists — proclaimed the independence of their nations, adopted new flags and new slogans, and discovered a new patriotism.How were these new nations built among peoples without any traditional nationalist heritage and no history of independent governance? Roy argues that Soviet practice had always been to build on local institutions and promote local elites, and that Soviet administration—as opposed to Soviet rhetoric—was always surprisingly decentralized in the farflung corners of the empire. Thus, with home-grown political leaders and administrative institutions, national identities in central Asia emerged almost by stealth.Roy's analysis of the new states in central Asia—Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tadjikstan, Kirghizstan and Azerbaijan—provides a glimpse of the future of an increasingly fragmented and dangerous region.

Are Europe's 'Christian values' under threat? Can religion be a pillar of identity and culture? What will be the fate of Christianity in Europe?In this short but bracing book, Olivier Roy traces the Church's long battle against a tide of secularization in Europe. Since the Enlightenment, religion has been losing ground as the source of moral norms. But while the question of truth was contested, Christian values continued to define law and social life in even the most secular and anti-clerical countries--until the 1960s. Ever since, the Church has been swept into a new war of values, reduced to struggling over abortion and same-sex marriage. Mired in scandal, the Church's authority is crumbling, while populist demands pave the way for the final secularization of religion as part of 'national culture'. From one of the most acute observers of our times, 'Is Europe Christian?' represents a persuasive and novel vision of religion's place today.

Everything you need to know about how Islamic State attracts new followers, by a world-renowned sociologist of Islam.

Instead of freeing the world from religion, secularization has encouraged a kind of holy ignorance to take root. This book explores the options available to powers that hope to integrate or control these groups; and whether marginalization or homogenization will further divide believers from their culture.

Examining the political development of Central Asia, this book argues that Soviet practice had always been to build on local institutions and promote a local elite making it decentralized. It also contains an analysis of the Central Asian states - Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kirghizstan and Azerbaijan.

Investigates the emergence of a militant deterritorialized Islam that has fewer links to any particular country and/or culture. This book argues that mainstream Islamist movements in the Muslim world have become Islamo-nationalist, recasting their political action within a national framework (e.g. the Hamas of Palestine, the Hezbullah of Lebanon).