Identifying scientism as religion's secular counterpart, this collection studies contemporary contestations of the authority of science. These controversies suggest that what we are witnessing today is not an increase in the authority of science at the cost of religion, but a dual decline in the authorities of religion and science alike. This entails an erosion of the legitimacy of universally binding truth claims, be they religiously or scientifically informed. Approaching the issue from a cultural-sociological perspective and building on theories from the sociology of religion, the volume unearths the cultural mechanisms that account for the headwind faced by contemporary science. The empirical contributions highlight how the field of academic science has lost much of its former authority vis-a-vis competing social realms; how political and religious worldviews define particular research findings as favorites while dismissing others; and how much of today's distrust of science is directed against scientific institutions and academic scientists rather than against science per se.

Published in Valiz's new "Antennae" series devoted to new research in art, photography, architecture and design, "Moving Together" examines contemporary dance from both a practical and theoretical perspective. The author, Professor Rudi Laermans, analyzes three tendencies: pure dance, dance theater and (self-) reflexive dance. He proposes a theoretical framework for understanding how artistic cooperation figures into the creation of dance. Boasting a great design by the maverick Dutch studio Metahaven, "Moving Together" includes dialogues with some of the most influential names in contemporary dance spanning several generations: Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, founder of the cutting-edge dance company Rosas; Jerome Bel, the controversial and experimental French choreographer; William Forsythe, known internationally for his work with Ballett Frankfurt (1984-2004) and The Forsythe Company (2005-present); as well as many others dance innovators.