Description: The Bibles of the Far Right is about a far-right worldview that has taken hold in contemporary Europe. It focuses on the role Bibles have come to play in this worldview. Starting with the case of far-right terrorism in Norway in 2011, the study argues that particular perceptions of "the Bible" and particular uses of biblical texts have been significant in calls to "protect" Europe against Islam. This study proposes new ways to understand political Bible-use today in order to respond to violence inspired by biblical texts.
Review Quotes: "Strømmen's innovative and compelling work draws on Deleuze and Guattari's theory of assemblages to construct a fresh mode of biblical scholarship that points a way forward for the field. Theoretically sophisticated yet accessibly articulated, this work challenges biblical scholars to confront the real world effects of biblical assemblages and experiment collaboratively with possibilities for change. Creative, exciting, and ultimately transformative, Strømmen's study paves the way for a new field of biblical studies that is both ethically engaged and politically relevant." -- Brennan Breed, Associate Professor of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary
"Strømmen is an important voice not only in the study of contemporary political uses of the Bible but of reception history of the Bible more generally. The Bibles of the Far Right will, of course, be an indisputably crucial resource in both respects. But its sharp, authoritative analyses of wide-ranging uses of the Bible in some of the most controversial areas of contemporary political discourses is an exemplary model for how biblical studies can influence research in the humanities and social sciences. For biblical studies, The Bibles of the Far Right is a landmark publication of its generation." -- James Crossley, Professor in Bible, Society and Politics at MF Oslo, Academic Director of the Centre for the Critical Study of Apocalyptic and Millenarian Movements, and Visiting Senior Research Fellow at King's College London"Who gets to lay claim to Christianity and its scripture in Europe? Drawing on sources across disciplines, Strømmen scrambles the secular-religious divide to show how bibles as 'lived scripture' are used with other objects to produce social and political effects and affects. She develops the concept of a 'biblical assemblage' to argue that there is nothing inevitable about the European far right's efforts to justify violence and exclude Muslims and others in the name of Christianity. An ambitious, important book that tackles head-on the most daunting contemporary challenges involving the interplay of religion and politics." -- Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, Northwestern University"This fascinating and timely book takes as its starting point the 'Bible-use' in the 'Manifesto' of far-right terrorist Anders Breivik's. In an exploration of how Breivik used snippets of scripture to justify terrorism, S.'s analysis ranges widely. Using theoretical underpinnings from Deleuze and Guattari, her work compellingly argues for biblical reception studies to attend to the assemblages of Bible constructed by readers; canons within canons." -- Holly Morse, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament"The Bibles of the Far Right is a substantive addition to conversations happening within sociology, biblical scholarship, and religious studies. Strømmen shows obvious cross-disciplinary subject mastery and has created an approach that deserves further expansion and application." -- Zachariah Motts, Reading Religion