religious fundamentalism

• fundamentalism

  fundamentalism - an extreme form of religion that looks to a past golden age and seek a return to the basics of their faith

  • arises when traditional beliefs are threatened by modern society, particularly through globalisation
  • this can be through the introduction of new cultures or when parts of society adopt new secular ideas eg. liberal views on gender and sexuality
• features of fundamentalism

  sociologists suggest fundamentalists have 7 key features

  • an authoratative sacred text
  • an us vs them mentality
  • aggressive reactions
  • use of modern technology
  • patriarchy
  • prophecy
  • conspiracy theories
• an authoritative sacred text


  the text the religion is based in is literally true, its truths are valid forever and it contains the answer to all of lifes questions. it is also without error and not open to questioning or interpretation

  • fundamentalist christians believe the virgin birth of christ, his resurrection and his imminent return to earth are historical facts
  • aldridge - text has to be interpreted so fundamentalists hold their own interpretations as truth not the literal text
• an us vs them mentality

  fundamentalists separate themselves from 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 reactions

  fundamentalist movements aim to draw attention to the threat to their beliefs, so their reactions are aggressuve and intended to shock, intimidate and even cause harm

  • authoritative leaders who interpret texts are important in directing these reactions
• use of modern technology

  although fundamentalists oppose modern culture they are keen to use modern technology to achieve their aims

  • use the new interconnectedness of the world to reach and convert more new followers
  • separate images and videos from their wider context to show a false image of secularised, promiscuous and liberal society
• patriarchy

  hawley - fundamentalists favour a world with fixed and divine control over women's sexuality, reproduction and social economic roles
• prophecy

  christian fundamentalists emphasise the relevance of biblical prophecies to modern life

  • they believe the last days before christ's resurrection will soon be upon us and the faithful wil be transported to heaven before the seven year rule of the antichrist and the final defeat of satan
• conspiracy theories

  the idea that powerful, evil forces and organisations are in control of human destiny is very attractive to fundamentalists as it appeals to their us vs them mentality

  • aldridge - some christian and islamic fundamentalists hold anti-semitic conspiracy theories about jews' goals of world domination
• examples of fundamentalism

  • the american opposition to teaching darwin's theory of evolution as fact which goes against the belief of the teachings of genesis and the intelligent design
  • islamic sharia law based on the qur'an is very conservative and restrictive, particularly over women
  • ultraorthodox communities across the world are very secluded from the modern world and often have schools and businesses that are segregated in some way
• fundamentalism and modernity

  • davie - fundamentalism occurs when people with orthodox values feel threatened by modernity and defend themselves from it. in this sense they themselves are products of modernity
  • giddens - fundamentalism is a product of globalisation, which undermines traditional social norms such as the nuclear family and sexuality. the attraction of fundamentalism within modernity is its rigidity against a world of uncertainty and risk
• response to postmodernity

  bauman - ultimately fundamentalism is a response to living in postmodernism, which brings freedom of choice and uncertainty

  • people often prefer fundamentalism for its idea of absolute truth
• two responses to postmodernity

  castell - there are two responses to postmodernity

  • resistance to identity - defensive reaction to those who feel threatened and retreat into fundamentalist communities
  • project identity - response of those who are forward looking and engage with social movements like feminism
• cosmopolitanism

  giddens - a way of thinking that embraces modernity and the changing, globalising nature of the world

  • tolerant of the views of others and open to new ideas
  • modifies beliefs based on new information - requires people to justify their views with rational arguments rather than appealing to sacred texts
  • emphasises the pursuit of personal meaning over submission to authority
• criticisms of giddens, bauman and castells

  beckford ~

  • distinguish too sharply between fundamentalism and cosmopolitanism without considering 'hybrid' movements
  • they are 'fixated on fundamentalism' and ignore globalisation's effects on non-fundamentalists religions
  • giddens ignores the important differences between types of fundamentalism
  • giddens' description of fundamentalism ignores the fact that reinventing tradition is reflexive in itself

  haynes - we shouldn't focus on the idea of islamic fundamentalism as being caused by globalisation as there are other causes, such as failure of elites
• monotheism and fundamentalism

  bruce - the main cause of fundamentalism is the perception that globalisation threatens beliefs

  • fundamentalism is however confined to monotheistic religions
  • monotheistic religions are based on god's will being revealed through a single, authoritative text whereas polytheistic religions lack a single deity so there is more scope for interpretation
• two fundamentalisms


  bruce - fundamentalism always shares the same characteristics but may have different origins

  • the west - fundamentalism is usually a reaction to change within a society, particularly trends towards diversity eg. the new christian right
  • developing countries - fundamentalism is often a reaction to changes being forced upon a population by an external country
• phases of modernity and secular fundamentalism

  davie - the development of secular fundamentalism is linked to changes in modern society

  • the rise of religious fundamentalism - the 'enlightenment project' in the 60s which promoted optimism based on the power of science helped secularise all areas of social life which lead to fundamentalism due to threat
  • rise of secular fundamentalism - since the 70s the enlightenment project has become under attack due to a pessimism caused by changes like globalisation which led to a loss of faith in projects like liberalism and marxism, which causes threat
• secular fundamentalism


  davie - supporters of secular ideologies have been attracted to fundamentalism due to greater uncertainty in modern/postmodern society which makes reasserting truth more attractive

  • when communist yugoslavia was being disintegrated nationalist secular fundamentalism justified an ethnic cleansing
  • ansell - trends like french secular fundamentalism banning any form of religion in public is a form of cultural racism than uses liberal language to hide racist aims
  • hervieu-leger - fundamentalist views are 'recreated memories' in cultures that have suffered cultural amnesia
• why secular fundamentalism?

  it preserves cultural identity and legitimises the exclusion of religious and cultural minorities which in turn promotes one group identity

  • secular fundamentalism often uses national identities in place of a religious one to unite individuals
• criticisms of huntington

  • jackson - work is an example of orientalism and stereotypes eastern nations and people as untrustworthy, inferior or fanatical and justifies exploitation and huma rights abuses
  • casanova - view is simplistic and ignores important differences within the civilisations eg. sunni and shi'a islam
  • horrie + chippindale - grossly misleads neo-conservative ideology that portrays the whole of islam as the enemy
  • armstrong - hostility to the west stems from a reaction to western policies implimented in the west that create and support oppressive regimes, not fundamentalism
• the real clash of civilisations?

  inglehart + norris - the issues that divide the west from the muslim world is gender and sexuality rather than democracy

  • both civilisations support democracy similarly but differences is attitudes to divorce, abortion, gender equality and gay rights cause a divide
  • western attitudes have become more liberal but they remain traditional in the muslim world
  • in the last decade democracy has become the appealing ideology but there is no agreement about self-expression values
  • huntington suggests the muslim world holds anti-democratic views that clash with the west
• the clash of civilisations


  religion has played a large part in global conflicts such as 9/11 and huntington suggests this is a symptom of the clash of civilisations - the cultures and practices of civilisation clash

  • there are seven civilisations - western, islamic, slavic-orthodox (eastern europe), latin american, confucian, japanese and hindu
  • religious differences are a major cause of conflict because globalisation has made national identities less important and religion has filled the gap
  • globalisation also increases the contact between civilisations which makes conflict more likely
• secular fundamnetalism

  secular fundamentalism - rooted in the principles of secularism which advocate for the separation of religion from government, education, and other societal institutions

  • secular fundamentalists often argue for the primacy of reason, science, and humanistic values in shaping public policy and social norms, rather than relying on religious doctrines