Difference between revisions of "Miriam Williams Boeri"

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Miriam Williams is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Kennesaw State University. She is a former first generation member of [[The Family]]. She left the group in 1988.  In 1998, she published a book, <u>"Heaven's Harlots: My Fifteen Years As a Sacred Prostitute in the Children of God</u>, about her experiences in the group. In the same year, she also established the [[ExCOGnet]] web site.
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[[Image:Miriam_williams_cannes.jpg|thumb|Miriam Williams Boeri at the Cannes Film Festival, 2001]]
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[[Image:Miriam-williams-1970s.jpg|thumb|Miriam Williams, late [[1970s]]]]
  
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==New Religious Movements/Cult Research [http://ksuweb.kennesaw.edu/~mboeri/Research.html]==
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'''Miriam Williams Boeri''', Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at [http://www.kennesaw.edu/ Kennesaw State University] in the state of Georgia. She is a former first-generation member of [[The Family International]] (where she was known as '''Jeshanah'''), and is married to Michael D. Brooks, a Health Physicist with the [http://www.gatech.edu/ Georgia Institute of Technology].
  
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'''Roundtable Discussion at American Sociological Association 98th Annual Meeting (2003)'''
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Boeri left The Family in [[1988]], and in [[1998]] published a book about her experiences, titled ''[[Heaven's Harlots|Heaven’s Harlots: My Fifteen Years As a Sacred Prostitute in the Children of God]]''. In the same year she established [[ExCOGnet]], a popular Web site for former members of the [[cult]] until the domain was purchased by another party in [[2001]].
  
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Sex and Cults: From Free-Sex to Sex-less<br>
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Boeri earned a bachelor's in communications from Kennesaw State University (1996), and her master's (1998) and doctorate (2002) in sociology from Georgia State University. She has been an Assistant Professor at Kennesaw State University since 2003, and has had Research Associate, Visiting Lecturer, Instructor, and Adjunct positions at Emory University, Georgia State University, Georgia  Perimeter College, and Reinhardt College. Included in her publications are several articles and book chapters in such areas as drug issues, gender, aging, and the sociology of religion. Research and academic conferences she has participated in have often covered topics related to [[new religious movement]]s and cults, including The Family. [http://ksuweb.kennesaw.edu/~mboeri/Research.html]
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Discussion co-leader: Miriam Williams Boeri, Kennesaw State University<br>
 
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Abstract:<br>
 
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News of a new communal group makes spectacular headlines periodically with some focus on the group's sexual behaviors. The recently-famous Raelians are reported to practice a type of free-sex; the late members of Heaven's Gate were believed to adhere total sexual abstinence, which was seen as a motive for their practice of male castration; whereas the Children of God made news from time to time due to various sexual norms within the group that included sacred prostitution and sex with children. In mass media reports, these groups are called "cults." Although not all cults are religious or spiritually-oriented, cults are usually discussed in sociological literature as "new religious movements." This roundtable discussion includes all types of communal groups in a discussion of the range of sexual practices that are known to exist, with a focus on a sociological understanding of these groups' sexual behaviors and beliefs.
 
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The idea of collective living arrangements with alternative social structures is not new to the American culture. During the nineteenth century, a number of such groups proliferated, such as the Shakers, Mormons and Oneidans. These communal groups experimented with a wide variety of sexual social structures. The Shakers practiced celibacy and channeled their sexual energies into frenzied dancing activities; the Mormons promoted the practice of polygyny; and the Oneidans allowed sexual relations with multiple partners, referred to as "complex marriages." In sociological literature, these nineteenth century groups are called "utopian communities."
 
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A note on the term "cult:" According to Webster's New World Dictionary of the American Language (1960), the term cult means "devoted attachment to, or extravagant admiration for, a person, principle, etc., especially when regarded as a fad: as, the cult of nudism." Sociologically, according to Robbins (1998), the term "cult" has been employed to refer to innovative religious groups, while the term "sect" refers to groups that split off from mainstream religions. Bainbridge (1997) writes that "a cult movement is a deviant religious organization with novel beliefs and subcultures" (p. 24), but some scholars prefer to use the term "new religious movement" instead of cult. The terms cult and new religious movement are used interchangeably in this discussion.
 
  
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'''Paper Presented at the Association for the Sociology of Religion 65th Annual Meeting (2003)'''
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==Publications regarding The Family==
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'''Books'''
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* Williams, Miriam. 1998. [[Heaven's Harlots|Heaven’s Harlots: My Fifteen Years As a Sacred Prostitute in the Children of God]]. New York: William Morrow.
  
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Title: Becoming Promiscuous: Examining The Social Re-Construction Of Identity In A New Religious Movement<br>
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'''Chapters'''
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Author: Miriam Williams Boeri, Emory University<br>
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* Boeri, Miriam Williams. 2005. “The Children of God/The Family Chapter” Pp 160-180 in <u>Sex and Religion</u> edited by C. Manning and P. Zuckerman. Belmont, CA: Thomson-Wadsworth.
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Abstract:<br>
 
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According to social construction theory, during primary socialization human beings learn to accept a legitimate reality, to develop a sense of self and identity, and to act out behaviors according to accepted roles. Socialization, however, is ongoing, and the behaviors and attitudes that are part of a social identity must continually be maintained. Re-socialization involves a radical change in subjective reality, which includes replicating affective identification with new role models, new significant others, and a new legitimating social structure. Thus, identity is dependent on a self that has been constructed and re-constructed by a continual flow of social factors and events constraining, guiding, intimidating, encouraging, and working with the actor. In this paper, I look at the extreme changes in self and identity through the social re-construction of reality by membership in a Christian communal group that required sacred prostitution. Through content analysis of the group's literature and interviews with former members, this study explores the social re-construction of reality with its effects on female identity.  
 
  
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'''Refereed Articles'''
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* Boeri, Miriam Williams. 2002. “Women After the Utopia: The Gendered Lives of Former Cult Members.” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 31(3): 323-360.
  
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==More Information==
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==Press==
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* [http://ksuweb.kennesaw.edu/~mboeri/ Miriam W. Boeri, Ph.D.]
 
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* [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0688170129/ref=pd_sxp_f/103-2361722-9938248?v=glance&s=book Amazon.com: Heaven's Harlots: My Fifteen Years As a Sacred Prostitute in the Children of God Cult]
 
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* [http://www.american-buddha.com/heavenharlot.abol.htm American-Buddha Online Library - Heaven's Harlots: My Fifteen Years As a Sacred Prostitute in the Children of God Cult]
 
 
* [[Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 'Heaven's Harlot' looks back on Jesus freak days]] &mdash; 1998-07-25
 
* [[Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 'Heaven's Harlot' looks back on Jesus freak days]] &mdash; 1998-07-25
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==Multimedia==
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* [[Image:Icon_video.gif|Video]][https://media.xfamily.org/video/testimony/miriam.wmv Interview with Miriam in 1995 about life in The Family] <small>(29:37, 13.2MB)</small>
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==External links==
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* [http://ksuweb.kennesaw.edu/~mboeri/ Miriam W. Boeri, Ph.D.] &mdash; faculty web site at Kennesaw State University
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* [[Image:icon_pdf.gif|PDF]][http://ksuweb.kennesaw.edu/~mboeri/Boeri-CV.htm.pdf Miriam Willaims Boeri's Curriculum Vitae]
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==Current research==
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* Miriam Williams Boeri is currently looking for participants for a study on former member women of the Children of God/The Family who participated in “[[Flirty Fishing]]” or “[[sharing]]” practices. Information about this research project and its objectives can be found on the xFamily Forum: [http://www.xfamily.org/xscripts/forum/?topic=331 Miriam: Research Participants Needed]
  
 
[[Category:Current and Former Members]]
 
[[Category:Current and Former Members]]
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[[Category:Spotlight]]

Latest revision as of 03:31, 1 September 2008

Miriam Williams Boeri at the Cannes Film Festival, 2001
Miriam Williams, late 1970s

Miriam Williams Boeri, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Kennesaw State University in the state of Georgia. She is a former first-generation member of The Family International (where she was known as Jeshanah), and is married to Michael D. Brooks, a Health Physicist with the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Boeri left The Family in 1988, and in 1998 published a book about her experiences, titled Heaven’s Harlots: My Fifteen Years As a Sacred Prostitute in the Children of God. In the same year she established ExCOGnet, a popular Web site for former members of the cult until the domain was purchased by another party in 2001.

Boeri earned a bachelor's in communications from Kennesaw State University (1996), and her master's (1998) and doctorate (2002) in sociology from Georgia State University. She has been an Assistant Professor at Kennesaw State University since 2003, and has had Research Associate, Visiting Lecturer, Instructor, and Adjunct positions at Emory University, Georgia State University, Georgia Perimeter College, and Reinhardt College. Included in her publications are several articles and book chapters in such areas as drug issues, gender, aging, and the sociology of religion. Research and academic conferences she has participated in have often covered topics related to new religious movements and cults, including The Family. [1]

Publications regarding The Family

Books

Chapters

  • Boeri, Miriam Williams. 2005. “The Children of God/The Family Chapter” Pp 160-180 in Sex and Religion edited by C. Manning and P. Zuckerman. Belmont, CA: Thomson-Wadsworth.

Refereed Articles

  • Boeri, Miriam Williams. 2002. “Women After the Utopia: The Gendered Lives of Former Cult Members.” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography 31(3): 323-360.

Press

Multimedia

External links

Current research

  • Miriam Williams Boeri is currently looking for participants for a study on former member women of the Children of God/The Family who participated in “Flirty Fishing” or “sharing” practices. Information about this research project and its objectives can be found on the xFamily Forum: Miriam: Research Participants Needed
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