Beyond the Promised Land: The Movement and the Myth

Beyond the Promised Land: The Movement and the Myth is a 2005 book by David F. Noble.
The book presents a history of Western civilization, as primarily determined by the monotheist religions, in order to finally situate modern anti-globalization activism. Noble presents current activism as breaking with cultural tradition, and being more in line with student activism of the 1960s, as being prepared to re-invent society in an absence of outside or mythological promise.
Reviewer Theresa Wolfwood explains a main thrust of the book as: "My understanding of Noble’s explanations is that the drive to conquer minds, continents, peoples and nations in our contemporary society is fuelled by our acceptance of these myths, which paradoxically also preach pre-destiny and power in the might of an external force usually called God."
Noam Chomsky described the book as "ruminations on leading themes of Western history, culture, and society -- from the Gilgamesh epic and the biblical narratives to contemporary neo-liberal globalization and the reactions of the Zapatistas and the global justice movements." The book was positively reviewed by the Left media in rabble.ca.

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