Wikipedia

Massimo Introvigne

Massimo Introvigne
head and shoulders photograph of a man
Introvigne in 2006
Born (1955-06-14) June 14, 1955 (age 70)
Rome, Italy
OccupationAuthor
Academic background
EducationB.A., J.D.
Alma materPontifical Gregorian University
University of Turin
Academic work
DisciplineSociology of religion
Sub-disciplineAcademic study of new religious movements
InstitutionsCenter for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR)
Websitemassimointrovigne.com Edit this at Wikidata

Massimo Introvigne (born June 14, 1955) is an Italian sociologist of religion,[1] author, and intellectual property attorney. He is a co-founder and the managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), a Turin-based nonprofit organization which has been described as "the highest profile lobbying and information group for controversial religions".[2]

Early life and career

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Introvigne was born in Rome, Italy on June 14, 1955.[3][4] Introvigne earned a B.A. in Philosophy from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 1975, and a J.D. from the University of Turin in 1979.[5][6] He worked for the law firm Jacobacci e Associati as an intellectual property attorney, specialized in domain names.[6][7]

He joined Alleanza Cattolica in 1972, a conservative lay Catholic association, for which he has received much criticism. From 2008 to 2016, he was the vice-president of the association.[8][9] Beginning in 2012, Introvigne was listed as an "invited professor of sociology of religious movements" at the Salesian Pontifical University in Turin.[10][11] Introvigne is a proponent of the theory of religious economy developed by Rodney Stark.[12][13]

In 2012, Introvigne was appointed chairperson of the newly-formed Observatory of Religious Liberty of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[14]

New religious movements

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In 1988, Introvigne co-founded the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR), a nonprofit organization based in Turin that studies new religious movements and opposes the anti-cult movement.[15] Introvigne is the group director of CESNUR.[16][17][18] Beginning in 2018, Introvigne was editor-in-chief of the daily magazine on religious issues and human rights in China and elsewhere, Bitter Winter, which is published by CESNUR.[19]

Swedish academic Per Faxneld [sv], writing for Reading Religion, described Introvigne as "one of the major names in the study of new religions."[20] In their 2023 book Satanism: A Reader, Faxneld and Johan Nilsson characterized Introvigne as one of the "founding fathers" of Satanist studies.[21] Sociologist Roberto Cipriani has called Introvigne "one of the Italian sociologists of religion most well-known abroad, and among the world's leading scholars of new religious movements".[22] In George D. Chryssides's Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements, Introvigne is noted to be "regarded as a cult apologist" by members of the anticult movement.[9]

In 2001, sociologist Stephen A. Kent described Introvigne as a "persistent critic of any national attempts to identify or curtail so-called 'cults'",[2] arguing that "he advocates doctrinaire positions that favour groups like Scientology" and that "on [CESNUR's] web page Introvigne intermingles ideological positions within solid research and information".[2] In the mid-1990s, Introvigne testified on behalf of Scientologists in a criminal trial in Lyon.[2] After Introvigne was critical of the publication of the 1995 report on cults by the French government, investigative journalist Serge Faubert [fr] described Introvigne as a "cult apologist", saying he was tied to the Alleanza Cattolica and Silvio Berlusconi's then ruling party.[23] Introvigne responded that his scholarly and political activities were not connected.[24]

Introvigne has written on the concept of brainwashing, which he does not believe is real and has described it as a myth. In a 1997 interview with the Journal de Genève et Gazette de Lausanne, he said that some groups do practice "dishonest and deceptive techniques or to denigrating propaganda regarding other religious experiences", and that some groups should be monitored but that this must not risk religious freedom.[25][26] CESNUR published the Encyclopedia of Religion in Italy in 2001, of which Introvigne was the main author.[16][9] Introvigne is Editor-in-Chief of the The Journal of CESNUR. It has been described by religious scholar Donald Westbrook as having "contributed heavily to the study of new religions and Scientology,"[27][28] and critical Scientology scholar Stephen A. Kent has also contributed to the journal, while journalist and Scientology-critic Tony Ortega penned a series of 2018/19 articles criticizing The Journal of CESNUR as an unreliable "apologist journal".[27]

Personal life

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Introvigne is a Roman Catholic.[29] Introvigne is also director of CESPOC, the Center for the Study of Popular Culture.[30][9] He was the Italian director of the Transylvanian Society of Dracula, which included the leading academic scholars in the field of the literary and historical study of vampire myth.[31][32] In 1997, J. Gordon Melton and Introvigne organized an event at the Westin Hotel in Los Angeles where 1,500 attendees came dressed as vampires for a "creative writing contest, Gothic rock music and theatrical performances".[31]

Introvigne has been married twice and has four children.[33]

Bibliography

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  • —— (1989). Le nuove Religioni (in Italian). Milan: SugarCo. ISBN 88-7198-090-5.
  • —— (1989). Lo spiritismo (in Italian). Leumann: Editrice Elle Di Ci. ISBN 88-0115-866-1.
  • —— (1990). I nuovi culti: Dagli Hare Krishna alla Scientologia (in Italian). Milano: Mondadori. ISBN 88-0434-057-6.
  • —— (1990). Il cappello del mago: i nuovi movimenti magici dallo spiritismo al satanismo (in Italian). Milan: SugarCo. ISBN 88-7198-021-2.
  • —— (1990). Les Témoins de Jéhovah (in French). Translated by Baillet, Phillip. Paris: Éditions du Cerf. ISBN 2-204-04099-1.
  • ——; Mayer, Jean-François; Zucchini, Ernesto (1990). I nuovi movimenti religiosi: Sette cristiane e nuovi culti (in Italian). Leumann: Editrice Elle Di Ci. ISBN 88-0114-260-9.
  • —— (1991). Les Mormons (in French). Turnhout: Brepols. ISBN 2-503-50063-3.
  • —— (1993). Il ritorno dello gnosticismo (in Italian). Milan: SugarCo. ISBN 88-7198-216-9.
  • —— (1995). Idee che uccidono: Jonestown, Waco, il Tempio Solare (in Italian). Milan: Mimep-Docete. ISBN 88-86242-10-7.
  • —— (1996). Les Veilleurs de l'Apocalypse: Millénarisme et nouvelles religions au seuil de l'an 2000 (in French). Claire Vigne. ISBN 2-84193-024-6.
  • ——; Melton, J. Gordon, eds. (1996). Pour en finir avec les sectes: Le débat sur le rapport de la commission parlementaire (in French). Dervy. ISBN 88-8523-711-8.
  • —— (1997). Enquête sur le Satanisme: Satanistes et antisatanistes du XVIIe siècle à nos jours (in French). Translated by Baillet, Philipp. Paris: Éditions Dervy. ISBN 2-85-076814-6.
  • —— (2000). The Unification Church. Studies in Contemporary Religions. Signature Books. ISBN 1-56085-145-7.
  • —— (2000). New Age & Next Age. Casale Monferrato: Piemme. ISBN 8-83-844775-6.
  • Stark, Rodney; —— (2003). Dio è tornato: Indagine sulla rivincita delle religioni in Occidente (in Italian). Piemme. ISBN 88-384-6584-3.
  • Iannaccone, Laurence R.; —— (2004). Il Mercato dei Martiri: L'industria del terrorismo suicida (in Italian). Lindau. ISBN 88-7180-514-3.
  • —— (2008). Una battaglia nella notte: Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira e la crisi del secolo XX nella Chiesa (in Italian). Milan: SugarCo. ISBN 88-7198-564-8.
  • —— (2010). I satanisti: Storia, riti e miti del satanismo (in Italian). Milan: SugarCo. ISBN 978-887198587-9.
  • —— (2016). Satanism: A Social History. Brill Publishers. ISBN 978-90-04-28828-7.
  • —— (2018). The Plymouth Brethren. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-084242-0.
  • —— (2019). Il libro nero della persecuzione religiosa in Cina (in Italian). Milan: SugarCo. ISBN 978-88-7198-753-8.
  • —— (2020). Inside The Church of Almighty God: The Most Persecuted Religious Movement in China. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-008909-2.
  • —— (2022). Brainwashing: Reality or Myth?. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-00-902956-8.
  • —— (2022). Sacred Eroticism: Tantra and Eros in the Movement for Spiritual Integration into the Absolute (MISA). Milan: Mimesis International. ISBN 978-8-86-977374-7.
  • Rigel-Cellard, Bernadette; ——, eds. (2022). La Scientology: Sur la scène religieuse et sociale contemporaine (in Northern Frisian). Louvain-la-Neuve: EME Editions. ISBN 978-2-80-663769-7.
  • ——; Šorytė, Rosita (2025). The Revelation Spiritual Home: The Revival of African Indigenous Spirituality. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-00-963039-9.

References

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  1. ^ Horowitz, Jason (July 4, 2019). "A Clash of Worldviews as Pope Meets Putin Again". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Kent, Stephen A. (January 2001). "The French and German versus American debate over 'new religions', Scientology and human rights". Marburg Journal of Religion. 6 (1). University of Marburg: 15. doi:10.17192/mjr.2001.6.3742. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
  3. ^ "Sì alla famiglia, Massimo Introvigne parla di un'istituzione in pericolo" ["Yes to the family," Massimo Introvigne talks about an institution under threat]. Modena Today (in Italian). February 10, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  4. ^ "Incontri con l'autore: Massimo Introvigne "Fondamentalismo islamico: martiri o terroristi?"" [Meet the Author: Massimo Introvigne "Islamic Fundamentalism: martyrs or terrorists?"]. Brundisium.net (in Italian). Brindisi, Italy. November 30, 2005. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  5. ^ "Avvocati - Massimo Introvigne". Jacobacci Avvocati. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "WIPO List of Neutrals, Biographical Data, Massimo Introvigne" (PDF). World Intellectual Property Organization. n.d. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  7. ^ Olivero, Dario (August 7, 2003). "Cliccavi su Jagermeister trovavi un portale porno" [Clicked on Jagermeister found a porn portal]. La Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  8. ^ "Massimo Introvigne non è più il reggente nazionale vicario di Alleanza Cattolica" [Massimo Introvigne is no longer the deputy national regent of Alleanza Cattolica]. La fede quotidiana (in Italian). April 28, 2016. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  9. ^ a b c d Chryssides, George D. (2012). "Introvigne, Massimo (1955–)". Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements (2nd ed.). Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 178–179. ISBN 978-0-8108-6194-7.
  10. ^ "Massimo Introvigne". Salesian Pontifical University. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
  11. ^ Cocchi, Francesca (October 16, 2013). "Le sette religiose, viste da "dentro"" [Religious sects, seen from the "inside"]. RSI Rete Uno (in Italian). Lugano, Switzerland. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  12. ^ Introvigne, Massimo; Stark, Rodney (January 2005). "Religious Competition and Revival in Italy: Exploring European Exceptionalism" (PDF). Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion. 1: 1–18. ISSN 1556-3723. Retrieved July 13, 2024 – via massimointrovigne.com.
  13. ^ Bruni, Frank (October 13, 2003). "Faith Fades where It Once Burned Strong". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 20, 2024. Retrieved October 28, 2019.
  14. ^ Tornielli, Andrea (June 20, 2012). "Nasce a Roma l'Osservatorio della libertà religiosa" [Observatory of religious freedom is born in Rome]. Vatican Insider (in Italian). La Stampa. Archived from the original on June 21, 2012. Retrieved June 20, 2012.
  15. ^ Chryssides, George D. (2012). "CESNUR". Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 76. ISBN 978-0-8108-6194-7. Retrieved August 20, 2024 – via Google Books.
  16. ^ a b Stausberg, Michael (2009). "The study of religion(s) in Western Europe III: Further developments after World War II". Religion. 39 (3): 261–282. doi:10.1016/j.religion.2009.06.001. S2CID 144600043.
  17. ^ Arweck, Elizabeth (2006). Researching New Religious Movements: Responses and Redefinitions. London: Routledge. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-138-05988-7.
  18. ^ Garde, Serge (June 27, 2001). "Les liaisons dangereuses des universités lyonnaises" [The dangerous liaisons of Lyon universities]. L'Humanité (in French). Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  19. ^ ""Bitter Winter", in Italia un nuovo quotidiano online su religione e diritti umani in Cina" ["Bitter Winter," a new online newspaper in Italy on religion and human rights in China]. La Stampa (in Italian). April 14, 2018.
  20. ^ Faxneld, Per (March 7, 2017). "Satanism: A Social History, Review". Reading Religion. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  21. ^ Faxneld, Per; Nilsson, Johan, eds. (2023). Satanism: A Reader. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 12–13. ISBN 978-0-19-991353-4.
  22. ^ Cipriani, Roberto (2009). Nuovo manuale di sociologia della religione (in Italian) (2nd ed.). Rome: Borla. p. 470. ISBN 978-88-263-1732-8.
  23. ^ Faubert, Serge (October 11, 1993). "Le vrai visage des sectes" [The true face of cults]. L'Evenement du jeudi (in French). pp. 44–48. ISSN 0765-412X.
  24. ^ Introvigne, Massimo (2016). "CESNUR: a short history". In Gallagher, Eugene V. (ed.). "Cult Wars" in Historical Perspective: New and Minority Religions. Routledge. pp. 23–31. ISBN 978-1-317-15666-6.
  25. ^ Gandow, Thomas (1998). "Die APA-Lüge – ein Wissenschaftsskandal" [The APA lie – a scientific scandal]. Berliner Dialog (in German). Vol. 4, no. 1–98. p. 27. ISSN 0948-0390. Retrieved October 5, 2007.
  26. ^ "Les sectes, des mouvements inoffensifs?" [Are cults harmless movements?]. Journal de Genève et Gazette de Lausanne. No. 186. August 13, 1997. p. 3. ISSN 1010-2108. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  27. ^ a b Introvigne, Massimo (2021). "Scientology Studies 2.0, Utopia or Opportunity?". Implicit Religion. 23 (2). doi:10.1558/imre.42092.
  28. ^ Westbrook, Donald A. (February 2020). "Scientology Studies 2.0: Lessons learned and paths forward". Religion Compass. 14 (2). doi:10.1111/rec3.12345.
  29. ^ Macioti, Maria Immacolata (2002). The Buddha Within Ourselves: Blossoms of the Lotus Sutra. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-7618-2189-2.
  30. ^ "CESPOC - Center for Studies on Popular Culture - Centro Studi sulla Popular Culture". CESPOC (in Italian). Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  31. ^ a b Bidwell, Carol (July 23, 1997). "Coffin Break To Vampires Everywhere, Fangs For The Memories". Los Angeles Daily News.
  32. ^ "The Transylvania Society of Dracula: American and Canadian Chapters". Vampire Junction. Retrieved January 4, 2007.
  33. ^ Bolino, Francesca (June 14, 2025). "Introvigne: "Studioso della fede, da piccolo leggevo Tiramolla e l'Enciclopedia delle religioni"". la Repubblica (in Italian). Retrieved November 12, 2025.
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