Part I: Global perspective, new age, and society's response -- New religious movements : a global perspective -- The new age movement (NAM) : alternative or mainstream? -- Accounting for hostility to new religious movements -- Part II: New religions in the west -- New religious movements in Europe -- New religious movements in North America -- New religious movements in Australia, New Zealand and Melanesia (New Guinea) -- Part III: the new religions of the Middle-East, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean -- New Islamic movements in North Africa and the Middle-East -- New religious movements in Africa South of the Sahara -- New religious movements in South and Central America and the Carribean -- Part IV: new religions of South, Southeast and East Asia -- New religious movements in South Asia (India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka).

NRMs in South East Asia (Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia) -- East Asia (1): Japanese new religious movements -- East Asia (2): new religious movements in Japan, Taiwan and Korea -- Part V: conclusions -- Conclusion: the uncertain impact of old and new religions.