religion in a global context Flashcards
the characteristics of fundamentalism
fundamentalists appeal to tradition and seek a return to the basics of their faith. it arises when traditional beliefs and values are threatened by modern society
an authoritative text - every word of the bible is true and its truths are valid for all eternity. the text is inerrant and is not open to questioning . fundamentalists are intolerant of all other views
us and them mentality - fundamentalists separate themselves from the rest of the world and refuse to compromise with it. davie - they seek to establish islands of certainty against what they see as social and cultural chaos
aggressive reaction - aim to draw attention to the threat to their beliefs and values, and their reactions are therefore aggressive and intend to shock, intimidate, or cause harm - authoritative leaders such as clergy give direction
use of modern technology - although fundamentalists oppose modern culture which they see as corrupt, they are keen to use modern technology to achieve their aims such as televangelism
patriarchy - hawley notes that fundamentalists favour a world in which control over women’s sexuality, reproductive powers and their social and economic roles is fixed for all time by divine decree
prophecy - proclaim the relevance of biblical prophecies to contemporary events. they believe the last days will soon be upon us when the faithful dead will be resurrected and transported to heaven
conspiracy theories - attracted to the idea that powerful, evil forces and organisations are in control of human destiny. aldridge - some extreme christian and islamic fundamentalists hold anti semitic conspiracy theories that believe jews are conspiring to secure world domination
fundamentalism and modernity
giddens - fundamentalism is a product of and reaction to globalisation, which undermines traditional social norms concerning the nuclear family
in today’s late modern society, individuals are constantly faced with choice uncertainty and risk - the attraction of fundamentalism and its religious dogmatic beliefs is the certainty that it promises in an uncertain world
cosmopolitanism
a way of thinking that embraces modernity and is in keeping with today’s modern world
tolerant of the views of others and open to new ideas, modifying beliefs based on new ideas - relfexive thinking
responses to postmodernity
castells:
- resistance identity - a defensive reaction of those who feel threatened and retreat into fundamentalist communities
- project identity - the response of those who are forward looking and engage with social movements such as feminism
criticisms of fundamentalism
beckford:
- they distinguish too sharply between cosmopolitism and fundamentalism, ignoring hybrid movements
- they are fixated on fundamentalism, ignoring other important developments, such as how globalisation is affecting non fundamentalist religions such as catholicism
- giddens lumps all types of fundamentalism together
hayes - we should not focus narrowly on the idea that islamic fundamentalism is a reaction against globalisation. for example, in the middle east, conflicts caused by the failure of local elites to deliver their promises of improving the standard of living are often the fuel that drives fundamentalism
monotheism and fundamentalism
bruce - sees the main cause of fundamentalism as as the perception of religious traditionalists that today’s globalising world threatens their beliefs
regards fundamentalism as being confined to monotheistic religions - believing in a single god
this is because monotheistic religions are based on a notion of god’s will as revealed through a single authoritative sacred text which is believed to contain the actual word of god, laying down rules for believers to follow.
two fundamentalisms
the west - fundamentalism is most often a reaction to change taking place within a society, especially the trends towards diversity and choice typical of secular late modern society. for example, the new christian right in america has developed in opposition to family diversity, and aims to reassert ‘true religion’ and restore it to a public role
developing countries - fundamentalism is usually a reaction to changes being thrust upon a society from outside, as in the case of the islamic revolution in iran. triggered by the modernisation and globalisation of which western values are imposed by foreign capitalism
secular fundamentalism
davie - recent decades have seen the emergence of secular fundamentalism
phase one - gave rise to religious fundamentalism. enlightenment philosophy held an optimistic secular belief in the certainty of progress based on the power of science and human reason to improve the world - undermined religious certainties
phase two - giving rise to secular fundamentalism - since the 1970s, the optimism of the enlightenment has come under attack as a result of growing pessimism and uncertainty. this mood is the product of the insecurity caused by changes such as globalisation and the collapse of communism - loss of faith in major secular enlightenment
secular ideologies are ‘past their sell by date’ - disintegration of communist yugoslavia in the 1990s led to a secular nationalist fundamentalism that justified the ethnic cleansing of the territory
in western europe, perceived religious challenges have to liberal secular values have provoked a secular fundamentalist reaction. in 2004 france banned pupils from wearing religious symbols in schools, and in 2010, make it illegal for women to wear the veil in public
the clash of civilisations
religion has played an important role in a number of global conflicts - huntington claims that these conflicts are symptoms of a clash of civilisations
religious differences between civilisations are now major source of conflict because globalisation has made nation states less important as a source of identity, creating a gap that religion has filled
at the same time, globalisation increases the contact between civilisations, increasing the likelihood of conflict
criticisms of the clash of civilisations
jackson - sees huntington’s work as an example of orientalism - a western ideology that stereotypes eastern nations as untrustworthy an inferior, and serves to justify exploitation by the west
casanova - too simplistic and ignores important religious divisions within the civilisations identified - sunni and shi’a islam
horrie and chippendale - a grossly misleading conservative ideology that portrays the whole of islam as an enemy
armstrong - hostility towards the west does not stem from fundamentalist islam, but is a reaction to the west’s foreign policy in the middle east
the real clash of civilisations
cultural defence:
poland
where religion serves to unite a community against an external threat
from 1945 to 1989, poland was under communist rule
during this time, the catholic church was supressed, but for many poles it continued to embody polish national identity
the church served as a popular rallying point for opposition to the soviet union and polish communist party - it lent its active support to the solidarity free trade union movement in the 1980s that did much to bring about the fall of communism
cultural defence:
iran
western capitalist powers and oil companies had long had influence in iran, including involvement in the illegal overthrow of a democratic government in the 1950s to install a pro western regime headed by the shah of iran
during the 1960s, his successor embarked on a policy of modernisation and westernisation, banning the veil and replacing the muslim calendar
change was imposed rapidly and caused great suffering. islam became the focus for resistance to the shah’s regime, led by clerics such as ayatollah khomeini. the revolution of 1979 brought about the islamic republic in which clerics held state power and were able to impose islamic law
hinduism and consumerism
globalisation has created a huge and prosperous scientifically educated, urban middle class in india
nanda - the vast majority still continue to believe in the supernatural
csds - indians are becoming more religious. only 5% said that their religiosity had declined in the last 5 years, while 30% said they’d become more religious. urban educated indians are more religious than their rural, illiterate counterparts. it is becoming more fashionable to be religious
attracted to what were once low status village gods and goddesses worshipped by the poor - seen as being more responsive to people’s needs than the traditional hindu gods
