Global context Flashcards
Fundamentalism
Appeals to tradition as looks back on a golden age.
Davie= occurs when a threat is felt by modern society, need felt to defend religion.
Giddens= a product of globalisation which undermines traditional norms (EG: nuclear family / gender / sexuality). Appealing due to faith based answers to uncertainty. Exists in Christianity, Islam.
Bruce= reaction to modernisation:
- societalisation (social life is fragmented)
- differentiation (religion is separate to other aspects of life)
- rationalisation (social life planned to achieve goals)
- egalitarianism (members of a society share certain rights)
Cosmopolitanism
Giddens= contrasts fundamentalism- embraces modernity, tolerant of other views, reflexive thinking, so use rational arguments rather than sacred texts.
Emphasises pursuit of personal meaning / self-improvement.
Bauman= response to modernity - appealing due to freedom of choice, claims of absolute choice and certainty.
Evaluation:
- Beckford= ignores ‘hybrid identities’, ignores reinvented tradition as another modern ‘reflexive’ activity.
Monotheism and Fundamentalism
Bruce= fundamentalism confined to monotheistic religions (1 God).
Have a single authoritarian texts so no scope for different interpretations (unlike Hinduism).
Distinctions between fundamentalists:
(1) West= reaction to changes in society (EG: diversity).
New Christian Right formed due to family diversity, new rights etc and aims to reassert ‘true’ religions to share laws and morals of society.
(2) 3rd World= reaction to changes in society from outside (EG: modernisation / western values imposed).
Involves resistance to state attempts to confine to private sphere.
Secular Fundamentalism
Davie= secular religions grow due to changes in modern society.
- Phase 1= 18th century-1960s: enlightenment: belief in progress based on science and human reason. Dominated European thought, secularised all aspects of social life and attacks religious certainties.
- Phase 2= Rise to Secular Fundamentalism: since 1970, uncertainty and insecurity caused by globalisation / environment = loss of faith in major secular enlightenment (EG: marxism)
- Secular ideologies are ‘past their sell by date’ so some supporters also attracted to fundamentalism (EG: France 2004= ban religious symbols in schools).
Leger= this is a form of ‘recreated memories’ in late modern societies suffering with cultural amnesia - forgotten historical religious traditions.
Cultural Defence
Bruce= religion serves to unite a community against an external threat / symbolises a collective group identity.
Poland:
- 1945-1989=-3,934 communism imposed by Soviet Union.
- Catholic church suppressed, but still embodied into Polish national identity.
- Served as a popular rallying point against communism.
- 1980s= church gave active support to solidarity free trade union movement (helped the fall of communism).
- After communism’s collapse, church regained a public role (EG: influence in politics).
Iran:
- 10950s= Influence from West (capitalism and oil companies) included illegal overthrow of democratic government led by the Shah.
- 1960s-1970s= modernisation and Westernisation (EG: banning the veil / wider gap between classes / replaced muslim calendar).
- 1979= revolution created Islamic Republic - clerics held power.
- Haynes= this is typical of the middle east (EG: Saudi Arabia tied closely to Western Imperialism so local religions oppressed).
Religion and Development
Hindu ultra-nationalism:
- Nanda= the Pew Global Attitude Survey: 93% agree their country is ‘not perfect but our culture is superior to others’.
Hindu Values- essence of Indian culture. Believe worshipping God is the same as worshipping India so wider gap between Hindu and non-Hindu minorities.
Public life: Hindu Sciences taught in schools (EG: astrology) / used for development of weapons (EG: medicines with ‘magical powers’).
Capitalism in East Asia:
- Redding= China gained industrial power through Chinese religion (Confucian) as work ethic similar to Calvinism.
Recently, East Asian Tiger economies have successfully industrialised causing capitalism.
Sociologists believe that religion contributes to growing economy (similar to Calvinism).
Pentecostalism
Latin America:
- Berger= encourages development of capitalism (similar to Calvinism) due to emphasis on work ethic and lifestyle to contribute to modern capitalism.
EVALUATION: Berger= religious ideas alone are not enough to produce economic development - natural resources also needed (EG: structure / agency).
Global and Local:
- Lehmann= Christianity globalised by expanding out of Europe (EG: into South America / Africa).
- Pentecostalism: similar message but uses symbolism from local cultures - validates local traditional beliefs to create new religious forms (EG: Africanisation of Christianity).
Successful in developing countries as appeals to the poor, uses media to preach and spread messages.
(IN SHORT: pentecostalism achieves global success by including local beliefs)
