“Sabrina Ramet is professor of international studies at the University of Washington. Making use of interview research throughout the Russian–East European region as well as materials published in eight languages, she presents a survey of traditional churches and a variety of new sects and religious movements. She treats politics and religion in East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, the Balkans, and the former Soviet Union, with special emphasis on the communist period. . . [and] she looks at some postcommunist trends.” - Theology Digest “This is a rich, if somewhat idiosyncratic book, of value not only to area specialists and ‘transitologists,’ but to anyone interested in church-state relations in our time.” - Australian Journal of Political Science “Sabrina Ramet provides a valuable synthesis of existing scholarship and new insights into the relationship between religion and politics in the former communist world. . . . [Nihil Obstat] should provide a valuable introduction to those unfamiliar with the religious aspects of postcommunist development.” - John Anderson, Slavic Review “Ramet presents a thoughtful re-evaluation of Communist policy towards religion in the former Eastern bloc, and argues that while, as a rule, churches suffered greatly under Communism, some of them in fact benefited from it. . . . Ramet’s new book illuminates, as probably no other book in the field, both change and continuity in the religious policies of East-Central Europe during the region’s turbulent transition period.” - Serhii Plokhy, The International History Review “Nihil Obstat is required reading for anyone interested in the interaction of religion and politics. It is especially recommended to people who think that the nations of East-Central Europe are peas in a pod.” - Bernice Glatzer Rosenthal, Journal of the American Academy of Religion “Sabrina Ramet’s survey illustrates at least three important connections between religion and politics. First, religious policy often tracks other state policies. Second, religious issues are sometimes an important factor in political events (e.g., the 1989 Romanian revolution). Finally and most importantly, by offering alternative, competing visions of the social order, religious groups challenge political regimes, whether of an authoritarian or a liberal democratic stripe. Moreover, these social visions, linked as they are to the transcendent, may prove more compelling than mere political ideologies.” - Andrew Sorokowski, Harvard Ukrainian Studies "An erudite, encyclopedic treatment of extremely sensitive, often misunderstood and misrepresented issues-its impact will be enduring. Ramet combines keen historical insight with sociological acumen in this pathbreaking contribution to the understanding of the post-communist religious landscape and to the role of religion in the erosion of Leninist ideocracies."-Vladimir Tismaneanu, University of Maryland “Nihil Obstat is required reading for anyone interested in the interaction of religion and politics. It is especially recommended to people who think that the nations of East-Central Europe are peas in a pod.” - Bernice Glatzer Rosenthal (Journal of the American Academy of Religion) “Ramet presents a thoughtful re-evaluation of Communist policy towards religion in the former Eastern bloc, and argues that while, as a rule, churches suffered greatly under Communism, some of them in fact benefited from it. . . . Ramet’s new book illuminates, as probably no other book in the field, both change and continuity in the religious policies of East-Central Europe during the region’s turbulent transition period.” - Serhii Plokhy (International History Review) “Sabrina Ramet is professor of international studies at the University of Washington. Making use of interview research throughout the Russian–East European region as well as materials published in eight languages, she presents a survey of traditional churches and a variety of new sects and religious movements. She treats politics and religion in East Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, the Balkans, and the former Soviet Union, with special emphasis on the communist period. . . [and] she looks at some postcommunist trends.” (Theology Digest) “Sabrina Ramet provides a valuable synthesis of existing scholarship and new insights into the relationship between religion and politics in the former communist world. . . . [Nihil Obstat] should provide a valuable introduction to those unfamiliar with the religious aspects of postcommunist development.” - John Anderson (Slavic Review) “Sabrina Ramet’s survey illustrates at least three important connections between religion and politics. First, religious policy often tracks other state policies. Second, religious issues are sometimes an important factor in political events (e.g., the 1989 Romanian revolution). Finally and most importantly, by offering alternative, competing visions of the social order, religious groups challenge political regimes, whether of an authoritarian or a liberal democratic stripe. Moreover, these social visions, linked as they are to the transcendent, may prove more compelling than mere political ideologies.” - Andrew Sorokowski (Harvard Ukrainian Studies) “This is a rich, if somewhat idiosyncratic book, of value not only to area specialists and ‘transitologists,’ but to anyone interested in church-state relations in our time.” (Australian Journal of Political Science)
