Volume 2, 2021

IJCAM

Introduction to the IJCAM Special Edition: Comparative reflections on scientology and NXIVM

Canada
  • From slogans to mantras: Social protest and religious conversion in the late Vietnam War era. Kent, S. A. (2001). Syracuse University Press.
Published Date
November 10, 2021
Issue
DOI
10.54208/0002/002

Abstract

This special issue of the International Journal of Coercion, Abuse, and Manipulation is dedicated to articles about Scientology and NXIVM, so it offers an opportunity to present evidence, in an academic setting, about Scientology’s possible influence on Keith Raniere (b. 1960) and the organization that he founded. I provide, therefore, a summary of comments that former members and critics of both groups have made about the (alleged) Scientology influence on NXIVM, and I conclude with my own interpretations of why some apparent similarities exist between the two groups and their creators. I realize that my comments are only preliminary (pending the discovery of new information), and I identify some lacuna in both evidence and interpretation that further researchers may want to pursue.

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