David G. Bromley
Encyclopedia
David G. Bromley is a professor of sociology
at Virginia Commonwealth University
, Richmond, VA and the University of Virginia
, Charlottesville, VA. He has written extensively about "cult
s", new religious movement
s, apostasy
, and the anti-cult movement
.
. He then obtained his M.A. (1966) and Ph.D. (1971) from Duke University
.
He began his professional teaching career at the University of Virginia where he taught from 1968-1974. He then taught at the University of Texas at Austin
(1976–1980), and Hartford University (1980–1983). Since 1983 he has held his professorial post at the University of Virginia and also at Virginia Commonwealth University.
His primary area of teaching and research is sociology of religion
, with a specialization in religious movements especially new religious movements. He was also director of the Institute for Social Research at the University of Hartford
and chairman of Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Virginia.
From 1992-1995, Bromley was the editor of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, published by the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion
, and is currently the editor of Religion and the Social Order, an annual serial published by the Association for the Sociology of Religion
.
During the 1970s a social conflict erupted in North America concerning fringe religions labelled as cults. The social discourses of the critics of cults centered on allegations that cults were socially devious and subversive groups. The subversion was alleged to threaten the norms of mainstream society and of social institutions such as the family. The processes by which devotees were converted and indoctrinated into cults were alleged to involve various degrees of brainwashing and mind control
.
Many of those who were opposed to cults were disaffected former members, and members of distraught families and friends who had loved ones involved in a group. As networks developed among these people a social movement developed which has come to be known as the anti-cult movement
. He defined the anti-cult movement in 1981 as the amalgam of groups who embrace the brainwashing theory. In the 1970s and 1980s the anti-cult movement came to prominence for their allegations and activities in resisting cults and in delegitimating these groups as inauthentic religious bodies. One of the controversial activities promulgated by some protagonists was known as deprogramming – a form of counter-brainwashing.
As a sociologist interested in topics like social deviancy and religious apostasy
, Bromley became a prominent scholarly voice about the social conflict ensuing around cults. He defined in his 1998 article the apostate role as "one that occurs in a highly polarized situation in which an organization member undertakes a total change of loyalties by allying with one or more elements of an oppositional coalition without the consent or control of the organization. The narrative is one which documents the quintessentially evil essence of the apostate's former organization chronicled through the apostate's personal experience of capture and ultimate escape/rescue."
However, Bromley's role soon extended from that of an observer as he expressed his opposition to the claims of brainwashing and the practice of deprogramming. Bromley was concerned that the social conflict was resembling aspects of the witch-hunt
s of the late Middle Ages, and that civil liberties guaranteeing religious freedom were at stake. He questioned the tactics of anti-cultists and their claims over brainwashing in several books and articles coauthored with Anson Shupe
, such as Strange Gods, Moonies in America, and The New Vigilantes.
Since 2001, Bromley has participated in scholarly discussions over the brainwashing controversy (see his essay contributed to the book Misunderstanding Cults
).
Bromley also painted a series of childrens paintings as well as adult.
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
at Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
, Richmond, VA and the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, Charlottesville, VA. He has written extensively about "cult
Cult
The word cult in current popular usage usually refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre. The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices...
s", new religious movement
New religious movement
A new religious movement is a religious community or ethical, spiritual, or philosophical group of modern origin, which has a peripheral place within the dominant religious culture. NRMs may be novel in origin or they may be part of a wider religion, such as Christianity, Hinduism or Buddhism, in...
s, apostasy
Apostasy
Apostasy , 'a defection or revolt', from ἀπό, apo, 'away, apart', στάσις, stasis, 'stand, 'standing') is the formal disaffiliation from or abandonment or renunciation of a religion by a person. One who commits apostasy is known as an apostate. These terms have a pejorative implication in everyday...
, and the anti-cult movement
Anti-cult movement
The anti-cult movement is a term used by academics and others to refer to groups and individuals who oppose cults and new religious movements. Sociologists David G...
.
Education and career
Bromley received his B.A. in sociology (1963) from Colby CollegeColby College
Colby College is a private liberal arts college located on Mayflower Hill in Waterville, Maine. Founded in 1813, it is the 12th-oldest independent liberal arts college in the United States...
. He then obtained his M.A. (1966) and Ph.D. (1971) from Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
.
He began his professional teaching career at the University of Virginia where he taught from 1968-1974. He then taught at the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
(1976–1980), and Hartford University (1980–1983). Since 1983 he has held his professorial post at the University of Virginia and also at Virginia Commonwealth University.
His primary area of teaching and research is sociology of religion
Sociology of religion
The sociology of religion concerns the role of religion in society: practices, historical backgrounds, developments and universal themes. There is particular emphasis on the recurring role of religion in all societies and throughout recorded history...
, with a specialization in religious movements especially new religious movements. He was also director of the Institute for Social Research at the University of Hartford
University of Hartford
The University of Hartford is a private, independent, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The degree programs at the University of Hartford hold the highest levels of accreditation available in the US, including the Engineering Accreditation Commission of...
and chairman of Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the University of Virginia.
From 1992-1995, Bromley was the editor of the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, published by the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion
Society for the Scientific Study of Religion
The Society for the Scientific Study of Religion was formed to advance research in the social scientific perspective on religious institutions and experiences.-Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion:...
, and is currently the editor of Religion and the Social Order, an annual serial published by the Association for the Sociology of Religion
Association for the Sociology of Religion
The Association for the Sociology of Religion is an academic association with more than 700 members worldwide. It publishes a journal, the Sociology of Religion: A Quarterly Review and holds meetings at the same venues and times as the American Sociological Association.-History:The ASR was founded...
.
During the 1970s a social conflict erupted in North America concerning fringe religions labelled as cults. The social discourses of the critics of cults centered on allegations that cults were socially devious and subversive groups. The subversion was alleged to threaten the norms of mainstream society and of social institutions such as the family. The processes by which devotees were converted and indoctrinated into cults were alleged to involve various degrees of brainwashing and mind control
Mind control
Mind control refers to a process in which a group or individual "systematically uses unethically manipulative methods to persuade others to conform to the wishes of the manipulator, often to the detriment of the person being manipulated"...
.
Many of those who were opposed to cults were disaffected former members, and members of distraught families and friends who had loved ones involved in a group. As networks developed among these people a social movement developed which has come to be known as the anti-cult movement
Anti-cult movement
The anti-cult movement is a term used by academics and others to refer to groups and individuals who oppose cults and new religious movements. Sociologists David G...
. He defined the anti-cult movement in 1981 as the amalgam of groups who embrace the brainwashing theory. In the 1970s and 1980s the anti-cult movement came to prominence for their allegations and activities in resisting cults and in delegitimating these groups as inauthentic religious bodies. One of the controversial activities promulgated by some protagonists was known as deprogramming – a form of counter-brainwashing.
As a sociologist interested in topics like social deviancy and religious apostasy
Apostasy
Apostasy , 'a defection or revolt', from ἀπό, apo, 'away, apart', στάσις, stasis, 'stand, 'standing') is the formal disaffiliation from or abandonment or renunciation of a religion by a person. One who commits apostasy is known as an apostate. These terms have a pejorative implication in everyday...
, Bromley became a prominent scholarly voice about the social conflict ensuing around cults. He defined in his 1998 article the apostate role as "one that occurs in a highly polarized situation in which an organization member undertakes a total change of loyalties by allying with one or more elements of an oppositional coalition without the consent or control of the organization. The narrative is one which documents the quintessentially evil essence of the apostate's former organization chronicled through the apostate's personal experience of capture and ultimate escape/rescue."
However, Bromley's role soon extended from that of an observer as he expressed his opposition to the claims of brainwashing and the practice of deprogramming. Bromley was concerned that the social conflict was resembling aspects of the witch-hunt
Witch-hunt
A witch-hunt is a search for witches or evidence of witchcraft, often involving moral panic, mass hysteria and lynching, but in historical instances also legally sanctioned and involving official witchcraft trials...
s of the late Middle Ages, and that civil liberties guaranteeing religious freedom were at stake. He questioned the tactics of anti-cultists and their claims over brainwashing in several books and articles coauthored with Anson Shupe
Anson Shupe
Anson D. Shupe is an American sociologist noted for his studies of religious groups and their countermovements, family violence and clergy misconduct.-Work:...
, such as Strange Gods, Moonies in America, and The New Vigilantes.
Since 2001, Bromley has participated in scholarly discussions over the brainwashing controversy (see his essay contributed to the book Misunderstanding Cults
Misunderstanding Cults (book)
Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field was edited by Benjamin Zablocki and Thomas Robbins. The book was published by University of Toronto Press, on December 1, 2001 and includes contributions from ten religious, sociological and psychological scholars.The book...
).
Faculty positions
Source- Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVirginia Commonwealth UniversityVirginia Commonwealth University is a public university located in Richmond, Virginia. It comprises two campuses in the Downtown Richmond area, the product of a merger between the Richmond Professional Institute and the Medical College of Virginia in 1968...
: 1983- - Affiliate Professor, Department of Religious Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University: 1994-
- Chairman, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Virginia Commonwealth University: 1983-1986
- Head, Department of Sociology, University of HartfordUniversity of HartfordThe University of Hartford is a private, independent, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The degree programs at the University of Hartford hold the highest levels of accreditation available in the US, including the Engineering Accreditation Commission of...
: 1980-1983 - Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, University of Hartford: 1980-1983
- Director, Institute for Social Research, University of Hartford: 1980-1983
- Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, The University of Texas at ArlingtonUniversity of Texas at ArlingtonThe University of Texas at Arlington is a public research university located in Arlington, Texas, United States. The campus is situated southwest of downtown Arlington, and is located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. The university was founded in 1895 and served primarily a military...
: 1974-1980 - Acting Chairman, Department of Sociology, The University of Texas at Arlington: 1976-1977
- Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of VirginiaUniversity of VirginiaThe University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
: 1968-1974
Bromley also painted a series of childrens paintings as well as adult.
Books
- "Moonies" in America: Cult, Church and Crusade. Beverly Hills: SAGE PublicationsSAGE PublicationsSAGE is an independent academic publisher of books, journals, and electronic products in the humanities and social sciences and the scientific, technical, and medical fields. SAGE was founded in 1965 by George McCune and Sara Miller McCune. The company is headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California,...
, 1979. (with Anson Shupe). - The New Vigilantes: Anti-Cultists, Deprogrammers and the New Religions. Beverly Hills: SAGE Publications, 1980. (with Anson Shupe).
- Strange Gods: The Great American Cult Scare. Boston: Beacon PressBeacon PressBeacon Press is an American non-profit book publisher. Founded in 1854 by the American Unitarian Association, it is currently a department of the Unitarian Universalist Association.Beacon Press is a member of the Association of American University Presses....
, 1981 (with Anson Shupe) - The Anti-Cult Movement in America: A Bibliography and Historical Survey (with Anson Shupe and Donna L. Oliver). New York and London: Garland, 1984.
- The Brainwashing/Deprogramming Controversy: Historical, Sociological, Psychological and Legal Perspectives. New York: Edwin Mellen PressEdwin Mellen PressThe Edwin Mellen Press, based in Lewiston, New York is a niche publisher of scholarly material and advanced research in the humanities and social sciences. They publish a variety of tomes including monographs, bibliographies, concordances, dictionaries, conference proceedings, dissertations, and...
, 1984. (edited with James T. Richardson). - New Christian Politics. Macon: Mercer University PressMercer University PressMercer University Press, established in 1979, is a publisher that is part of Mercer University....
, 1984. 288 pp. (edited with Anson Shupe). - The Future of New Religious Movements. Macon: Mercer University Press, 1987. 278 pp. (edited with Phillip Hammond).
- Falling from the Faith: The Causes and Consequences of Religious Apostasy. Newbury Park: SAGE Publications, 1988. (edited)
- Krishna Consciousness in the West. Lewisburg: Bucknell University PressBucknell University PressBucknell University Press was founded in 1968 as part of a consortium operated by Associated University Presses and currently partnered with Rowman & Littlefield. Since then it has published more than 1000 titles in the humanities and social and biological sciences...
, 1988. 290pp. (edited with Larry Shinn). - The Satanism Scare. Hawthorne, NY: Aldine de Gruyter, 1991. (edited with James Richardson and Joel Best).
- Anticult Movements in Cross-Cultural Perspective. New York: Garland Publishers, 1994 (edited with Anson Shupe).
- The Politics of Religious Apostasy: The Role of Apostates in the Transformation of Religious Movements. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers, 1998. (edited)
- Toward Reflexive Ethnography. Volume 9: Religion and the Social Order (edited with Lewis Carter). Oxford: ElsevierElsevierElsevier is a publishing company which publishes medical and scientific literature. It is a part of the Reed Elsevier group. Based in Amsterdam, the company has operations in the United Kingdom, USA and elsewhere....
, 2001. - Cults, Religion, and Violence. Cambridge: Cambridge University PressCambridge University PressCambridge University Press is the publishing business of the University of Cambridge. Granted letters patent by Henry VIII in 1534, it is the world's oldest publishing house, and the second largest university press in the world...
, 2002. (Edited with J. Gordon MeltonJ. Gordon MeltonJohn Gordon Melton is an American religious scholar who was the founding director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion and is currently a research specialist in religion and New Religious Movements with the Department of Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara...
) - Cults and New Religions: A Brief History (with Douglas E. CowanDouglas E. CowanDouglas E. Cowan is a Canadian academic in religious studies and the sociology of religion and currently holds a teaching position at Renison College, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada...
, Wiley-Blackwell 2007) - The Satanism Scare, Hawthorne, Aldine de Gruyter, 1991. 320 pp. (edited with James Richardson and Joel Best).
- The New Vigilantes: Anti-Cultists, Deprogrammers and the New Religions, SAGE Publications, 1980. 267 pp. (with Anson ShupeAnson ShupeAnson D. Shupe is an American sociologist noted for his studies of religious groups and their countermovements, family violence and clergy misconduct.-Work:...
). - A Tale of two Theories: Brainwashing and Conversion as Competing Political Narratives, in Benjamin ZablockiBenjamin ZablockiBenjamin Zablocki is and American professor of sociology at Rutgers University where he teaches sociology of religion and social psychology. He has published widely on the subject of charismatic religious movements and cults....
and Thomas RobbinsThomas Robbins (sociologist)-Life and work:Robbins obtained a B.A. in government from Harvard University in 1965, and a Ph.D. in Sociology, at the University of North Carolina in 1973. He subsequently held teaching or research positions at Queens College , the New School for Social Research, Yale University and the Graduate...
, eds. Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial FieldMisunderstanding Cults (book)Misunderstanding Cults: Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial Field was edited by Benjamin Zablocki and Thomas Robbins. The book was published by University of Toronto Press, on December 1, 2001 and includes contributions from ten religious, sociological and psychological scholars.The book...
(Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2001).
External links
- Home Page of David Bromley at the University of Virginia