Beliefs In Society: Globalisation and Religion Flashcards
what is globalisation?
the process of the world becoming more interconnected, due to advances in technology
in what 4 ways an religion have an impact in a post-modern, globalised society?
religion and economic development: is making more money becoming more important than religion?
religion and fundamentalism: literally interpret the bible/holy word
globalisation can lead to anomie
religion and cultural defence:
when experiencing prejudice due to crossing over to a new culture, religion offers safety and support.
religion and the clash of civilisation:
more than one culture coming together.
Religion and economic development: is religion losing its place in society?
modernism and secularisation theories would argue religion is losing its place in society because people are so busy as workers and production owners. e.g. working on Sundays, more women working, statistics on church attendance are falling.
religion and economic development: Weber’s protestant ethic and calvinism
this religion suggested that secularisation theories were wrong, and religion could help with economic growth. rather than people ignore tradition religion, the teachings encouraged investment and selfless acts.
protestant ethic: the value attached to hard work, thrift, and efficiency in an individual. in the Calvinist view, these are deemed signs of an individuals drive for eternal salvation.
weber suggested that the protestant ethic was an important factor in the economic success of protestant groups in the early stages of capitalism because worldly success could be interpreted as a sign of eternal salvation.
religion and economic growth: Nanda - globalisation in India
India is one of the most rapidly growing economic communities. secularisation theory suggests that as modernisation increases, Hinduism should decrease. the reality is Hinduism is indeed increasing.
middle class: globalisation has brought about huge economic growth. 85% of India claim to be Hindu. the middle class is well-educated and works in good jobs. 2007: only 5% claimed to decrease in religiosity while 30% claimed to be more religious. (No longer need to pray to compensate for suffering - opium of the people).
ultra-nationalism: India has strong Hindu values and therefore economic success conflicts with the traditional values. in a national survey, 93% of the population agreed with the statement “Our people are not perfect, but our culture is superior to others”. for Hindus, worshipping the nation of India and Hinduism is a civil religion (civil religion - Bellah’s concept of Americanism).
religion and economic development: Berger - America and Pentecostalism
Berger shows how Pentecostalism is spreading through Latin America stressing hard work, discipline, commitment etc, similar to Weber’s Protestant Ethic.
normative conditions: embrace a lifestyle where an ascetic self (self-denying) way of life is emphasised, hard work, and discipline.
material conditions: must have some resources in order to be able to develop, attitude alone isn’t enough.
Brazil: Northern Brazil has seen an increase in Pentecostalism but lacks any natural resources to be able to develop e.g. fossil fuels.
religion and fundamentalism: what is fundamentalism?
fundamentalism is a religion based on unquestioning belief in the literal truth of sacred texts. Giddens highlights that ‘fundamentalism’ is a relatively new concept. He argues the reason society has seen a growth in fundamentalism is that they are reacting against the globalised post-modern direction that society is taking.
fundamentalists see the current trend towards liberalism and freedom of choice as undermining their religions and as such, wish to re-establish their religions at the fundamental traditional level.
religion and fundamentalism: liberal conditions threatening religion
- new attitudes toward gender and sexuality
- modern technology
- threatening patriarchy
religion and fundamentalism: cosmopolitism
thinking that embraces the modern changing world, respectful of views of others, justify their views using rational arguments.
cosmopolitanism is a threat to many religions which prefer traditionalism, closed views, regulation, and order.
Bauman argues fundamentalism has grown out of increased choice and freedom, which brings about increased uncertainty. in this situation, some are attracted to fundamentalism as it claims to be the absolute truth.
Castells argues people who adopt a ‘resistant identity’ where fundamentalism feels safe, or a ‘project identity’ where new movements and ideas will be embraced.
religion and cultural defence: what is cultural defence?
when religion serves to unite a community against external threats, it is important because it symbolises a group’s collective identity.
Poland: under communist rule, the catholic church was suppressed. many felt catholicism reflected national identity, many people would rally around it: they had significant influence in politics and regained a public role.
Iran and Islam: western capitalist powers and oil companies influence Iranian rule. Shah imposed rapid change and tried to enforce Western Rule: The 979 revolution meant Shari’ia law imposed in many countries.
religion and the clash of civilisation: what is it?
Huntington identifies 7 civilisations: Western, Latin, American, Confucian, Japanese, Islamic, Hindu and Slavic-Orthodox. although religion binds countries within these civilisations together, religion also causes conflict between civilisations. this is happening more than ever because religion is becoming more and more important as a source of national identity. globalisation means that civilisations are more likely to be in contact with each other, meaning old conflicts re-emerge more easily. In the globalised world, religion creates an ‘us vs them’ mentality as competition for wealth and power grows on a global scale.
- Casanova: Huntington ignores important religious divisions within civilisations e.g. Sunni and Shi’a.
- Inglehart and Norris: ‘World Values Survey’ shows the divide between the West and Muslim world is the values they hold towards gender. Muslims have a traditional view toward gender and gay rights.
