RGXXI: Committee on the Fundamentalism Project

Historical Note

The Committee on the Fundamentalism Project, variously referred to as the Fundamentalism Project Steering Committee, was officially active from 1987-1993, however, the publication phase of the project lasted until 1995. The purpose of the Committee was to oversee a comparative study of anti-modernist, anti-secular militant religious movements on five continents and within seven world religious traditions. Martin E. Marty served as Project Director, with R. Scott Appleby serving as Associate Project Director for the duration of the Project.

The activity was conducted in two phases: Conferences and Publication, with some overlap. From 1988-1993 a series of conferences were held; collected papers were published in a correlating five-volume series from 1991-1995: Fundamentalisms Observed, 1991; Fundamentalisms and Society, 1993; Fundamentalisms and the State, 1993; Accounting for Fundamentalisms, 1994; and Fundamentalisms Comprehended, 1995. Other activity includes various occasional papers, letters to the editor, and communications at Academy Stated Meetings. The 1988th Stated Meeting of the Academy, February 10, 1988, at which Marty gave a talk on "Fundamentalism as a Social Phenomenon". At the 177th Stated Meeting of the Academy held May 10, 1995, Martin Marty gave a communication, "Too Bad We're So Relevant: The Fundamentalism Project Projected", later published in the March 1996 Academy Bulletin. 

In 1992 PBS and NPR aired a series produced by the William Benton Broadcast Project of the University of Chicago, in association with the BBC and WETA (Washington, DC) The Glory and the Power: Fundamentalism Observed. This project was inspired by and incorporated the work of the Academy's Fundamentalism Project. Martin E. Marty and Scott Appleby authored a companion book Glory and the Power: The Fundamentalist Challenge to the Modern World, published in 1992 by Beacon Press. 

Related is a 2003 publication, Strong Religion: The Rise of Fundamentalisms around the World, authored by Gabriel A. Almond, R. Scott Appleby, and Emmanuel Sivan and published by the University of Chicago Press. The publication drew on the results of the Fundamentalism Project but was an Academy effort.

Scope and Content

The series is contained within the Academy Archives’ Record Group XXI: Academy Projects and Programs. This series contains the administrative, and project records of the Committee for the Fundamentalism Project, variously known as Fundamentalism Steering Group from 1986-1996, the majority created between 1987-1993 by Project Directors Martin E. Marty and R. Scott Appleby, Deaedalus Editor Gerald Holton, and the executive office of John Voss. Included among administrative records are correspondence, grantor correspondence, and committee meeting minutes and agendas. Included among conference records are planning files, transcripts, and agendas. Included among publication records are selected papers to particular conferences, files relating to the Glory and Power television series, and individual draft papers presented at conferences.

Arrangement

Processing for the series utilized MPLP principles, thus minimum preservation steps were taken, and folder titles listed in the finding aid are as they appear on the actual folders. Records of the Academy Committee were kept by the office of John Voss, Chief Executive Officer of the Academy and by Gerald Holton, Daedalus Editor. Original order of the records was maintained, with records interfiled where appropriate. Some files were created outside the filing system and were incorporated with like materials. 

This group of records is organized into three subseries by function: Subseries 1: Administrative Files; Subseries 2: Conference Files; and Subseries 3: Publication Files. Subseries 1 and 2 are arranged chronologically. Subseries 3: Publication Files are also generally arranged chronologically, but loose, individual papers are arranged by author.

Volume

3 records center cartons (2.5 linear feet)

Preferred Citation

[Item title, date]. Record Group XXI: Academy Projects – Committee on the Fundamentalism Project, 1986-1996. Archives, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Subjects

Almond, Gabriel A. (Gabriel Abraham), 1911-2002
Appleby, R. Scott, 1956-
Holton, Gerald James
Marty, Martin E., 1928-
Sivan, Emmanuel
Voss, John, 1917-
British Broadcasting Company
WETA-TV (Television station : Washington, D.C.)
William Benton Broadcast Project
Religion
Religion and Sociology
Religious fundamentalism--Comparative studies