<P>What role has religion played in social protest movements? This important book examines how activists have used religious resources such as liturgy, prayer, song and vestments with a focus on the following global case studies:</P>
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<LI>The mid-twentieth century US civil rights movement. </LI>
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<LI>The late twentieth century antiabortion movement in the United States of America. </LI>
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<LI>The early twenty-first century water protectors' movement at Standing Rock, North Dakota. </LI>
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<LI>Indian independence led by Mohandas Gandhi in the early 1930s. </LI>
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<LI>The Polish Solidarity movement of the 1980s. </LI>
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<LI>The South African anti-apartheid movement of the 1980s and 1990s. </LI></UL>
<P>Prayer as a sacred act is usually associated with piety and pacifism; however, it can be argued that those who pray in public while protesting are more likely to encounter violence. Drawing on journalistic accounts, participant reflections, and secondary literature, <I>Religion and Social Protest Movements </I>offers both historical and theoretical perspectives on the persistent correlation of the use of public prayer with an increase in conflict and violence. </P>
<P>This book is an important read for students and researchers in history and religious studies, and those in related fields such as sociology, African-American studies, and Native American studies.</P>