The series Religion and Society (RS) contributes to the exploration of religions as social systems- both in Western and non-Western societies; in particular, it examines religions in their differentiation from, and intersection with, other cultural systems, such as art, economy, law and politics. Due attention is given to paradigmatic case or comparative studies that exhibit a clear theoretical orientation with the empirical and historical data of religion and such aspects of religion as ritual, the religious imagination, constructions of tradition, iconography, or media. In addition, the formation of religious communities, their construction of identity, and their relation to society and the wider public are key issues of this series.

The 20th century shows an essential change in young people's behaviour from Wandervogel, Boy Scouts and Komsomol to student rebellion, hippie, rock and pop, and techno cultures. These cultures show a new code of behaviour - a code of informality based on principles of symmetry, moratorium and modularity. The informal youth cultures develop as an attempt to respond to rapid social change and complexity by constructing an open order that can flexibly adjust to postmodern chaotic conditions. Based on empirical analyses of classical youth movements as harbingers of the code of informality, and of the recent example of Israeli youth movements, this study uses the above conceptual framework to explain the variety of youth behaviour in authentic rather than generational or conflictual terms. It sheds new light on youth movements and more recent expressions of youth in the same universe of informal youth structures. These informal structures institutionalize both youth authenticity and relation to adult society, constructing a context in which freedom and discipline coexist.

This book focuses on general theoretical considerations important for the analysis of political legitimation and integration in diverse societies. It suggests a model of society in which conflicts are accentuated for integrative purposes.

Though characterized by great human diversity and subject to economic constraints-typically disintegrative forces-Indian society has managed to function in a democratic manner through institutionalization of conflict among the myriad of competing ethnic, religious, and political factions. The author of this book maintains that the relative unity of Indian society can be explained by its unique pattern of integration, which allows conflicting forces to cooperate through mediatory institutions. Such institutions, he argues, link differing codes of behavior and equalize opposing groups, creating structures that serve as bridging mechanisms within the society. Dr. Kahane goes beyond the example of India, pointing to general theoretical considerations important for the analysis of political legitimation and integration in diverse societies. He suggests a model of society in which conflicts are accentuated for integrative purposes, illustrates the structure of the mechanisms by which antagonistic elements of society are connected, and stresses that analysis of the patterns in which social units (political, cultural, and religious) are linked is often the most efficient means of explaining the nature of a given social order.