The essays included in this volume explore the everyday relevance of the apocalyptic in contemporary society, culture, and politics, side by side with the various histories of apocalyptic ideas and movements. In particular, they seek to better understand the ways in which perceptions of the apocalyptic diverge in the American, European, and Arab worlds. Including leading experts of the field like David Cook, Michael Gillespie, Moshe Idel, Richard Landes, or Charles Strozier, our authors re-evaluate some of the traditional views on apocalypticism and the apocalyptic in light of recent political and cultural events, and, additionally, go beyond empirical facts to reconsider the potential of the apocalyptic. It is this last point--the apocalyptic in its very capability of transfiguration--that is posited as the focal point of our book.
