Benjamin D. Zablocki, Ph.D.,
Professor of Sociology and Chair of the
Department of Sociology at Rutgers University
has been studying cults, communes, and charisma
for over 40 years. He is the author of The
Joyful Community (1971) and Alienation and
Charisma (1980) as well as numerous articles on
these topics. He is co-editor (with Thomas
Robbins) of a book, Misunderstanding Cults:
Searching for Objectivity in a Controversial
Field, published in 2001 by University of
Toronto Press. This book attempts to find a
middle ground between the theories of the “cult
apologists” and the theories of the
“anti-cultists.” He is currently writing a book
developing a biopsychosocial theory of
charismatic resocialization—sometimes called
“thought reform” or “brainwashing.”
(zablocki@sociology.rutgers.edu)
http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~zablocki/
