Global context

• Fundamentalism - characteristics

  • Authoritative sacred text - Bible is literally true
  • 'Us and them' mentality - separate from rest of the world
  • Aggressive reaction - aim to draw attention to threats of their beliefs
  • Modern tech - use to achieve their aims, like televangelism
  • Patriarchy - want full control over women's lives
  • Prophecy - say the 'last days' are upon us
  • Conspiracy theories - believe hidden forces control the world, like the Jews
• Fundamentalism - modernity

  • Davie - it occurs when those with traditional orthodox beliefs and values are threatened by modernity and feel the need to defend themselves
  • Giddens - it is a reaction to globalisation, which undermines social norms concerning the nuclear family, gender and sexuality
  • Modern diversity provides an overwhelming amount of choice, so fundamentalism grounds people
• Fundamentalism - cosmopolitanism (Giddens)


  • Tolerant of of the views of others and open to new ideas
  • Requires people to justify their views by the use of rational arguments and evidence rather than using sacred texts
  • Lifestyle is personal choice rather than prescribed by religious authority
  • Pursuit of self-improvement rather than submission to authority
  • Counter - Beckford says he lumps all fundamentalists together and that he ignores hybrids of fund and cosmo
• Fundamentalism - response to postmodernity (Bauman)


  • Postmodernity brings society freedom of choice and uncertainty, undermining old certainties of how to live, leading some to chase traditional beliefs
  • Castells' two responses:
  • Resistance identity - those threatened by postmodernity
  • Project identity - those engaging postmodernity
• Fundamentalism - monotheism (Bruce)


  • Fundamentalism is a result of people thinking todays world threatens their beliefs
  • Monotheistic believes in one God (Christianity)
  • Polytheistic believes in multiple (Hinduism)
  • Monotheistic also believe sacred texts are literal and that it is how God wants us to live our lives
• Fundamentalism - two fundamentalisms (Bruce)


  • In the West - fundamentalism is a reaction to change within society, like the Christian New Right opposing gender diversity
  • In developing countries - fundamentalism is a reaction to changes being thrust upon a society from the outside, Islamic revolution in Iran triggered by Western capitalism
• Fundamentalism - secular fundamentalism phase 1 (Davie)


  
  

  • Enlightenment period of 18th century - 1960s
  • Enlightenment philosophy held an optimistic secular belief in the certainty of progress based in the power if science and human reason to improve the world
  • Religious fundamentalism is a reaction to this secularisation
• Fundamentalism - secular fundamentalism phase 2 (Davie)


  • Since 1970s, enlightenment has been under attack
  • Growing uncertainty in modern world:
  • Globalisation
  • Environmental concerns
  • Fall of Communism in 1989
  • Has led to people questioning liberalism and rationalisation and increased people retreating to fundamentalist religion
• Fundamentalism - the 'clash of civilisations' (Huntington)


  • Religious differences between civilisations are now major sources of conflict (USA vs Middle East)
  • Globalisation increases contact with others and increases chances of conflict
  • Religious conflicts are harder to resolve than political ones as it is deeply rooted into culture and tradition
  • Sees the west as under threat from Islam
• Fundamentalism - criticisms of 'clash of civilisations'

  • Jackson - stereotypes Eastern nations as untrustworthy and seeks to justify human rights abuses by the West
  • Casanova - ignores divisions within civilisations, like Sunni and Shi'a
  • Horrie and Chippindale - grossly misleading neo-conservative ideology that paints Islam as the enemy
• Fundamentalism - the real clash of civilisations (Inglehart and Norris)


  • Issues that divide the West from the Muslim world is not democracy but gender and sexuality
  • Support for democracy is high in both
  • Differences in attitudes towards divorce, abortion, gender equality and gay rights
• Cultural defence - overview (Bruce)


  • Religion serves to unite a community against an external threat
  • Religion has special significance for it's followers because it symbolises the group or society's collective identity
  • Defending the community against a threat often gives religion a prominent role in politics
• Cultural defence - Poland (Bruce)


  • Catholic Church supressed from 1945-89 due to Communist rule, it continued to embody Polish identity for many
  • Church served as a rallying point against USSR
  • Church regained a public role and has had significant influence in Polish politics since
• Cultural defence - Iran (Bruce)


  • Western capitalist powers and oil companies had long influences in Iran
  • Their democratic government was overthrown and replaced with pro-western regime
  • Islam became the focus for resistance to the Shah's regime
  • 1979 revolution led to creation of the Islamic Republic
  • Counter - Haynes calls this event not typical of the rest of the middle east
• Development - Hinduism and consumerism(Nanda)


  • Globalisation has increased India's educated MC and improved their global economic and political relevance
  • Vast majority of this class still believes in the supernatural, last 5 years only 5% had decreased
  • Tourism has made it fashionable to be religious in India
  • Increasing religiosity is a result of mixed feelings about their new found wealth
• Development - Hindu ultra-nationalism (Nanda)


  • 93% of Indians believe their people are not perfect, but their culture is superior to others
  • India's success in the global market has led to attributing it to superior Hindu beliefs
  • Hinduism has become a civil religion
  • Hinduism has also penetrated their public life, like their Military of Defence sponsoring the development of 'magic' weapons mentioned in sacred texts
• Development - capitalism in East Asia

  • Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan have industrialised and become significant players in the global economy
  • China is now a major industrial power
  • Redding - post Confucian values encouraging hard work, self discipline, educational commitment and self improvement has led to economic productivity
• Development - Pentecostalism in Latin America (Berger)


  • It encourages the development of capitalism
  • They embrace a work ethic and lifestyle similar to Calvinists
  • In Chile and Southern Brazil, there's a strong growing Pentecostalist MC leading capitalist development
  • Counter - Northern Brazil region lacks resources and remains backwards
• Development - Pentecostalism: global and local

  • Lehmann's explanations for Christian globalisation:
  • 1st phase - Christianity accompanied colonisation and was imposed on Aboriginals
  • 2nd phase - over last century it has gained a large following from bellow
  • Pentecostalism uses local traditions to appeal to certain regions
  • Develops countries as it appeals to the poor and uses global media
• Fundamentalism - authoritative sacred texts

  • Every word of the Bible is literally true
  • Must believe in Virgin birth of Christ, his resurrection and his second coming
  • Aldridge - they don't accept other interpretations like symbolism or metaphors, they see it as historical fact
• Fundamentalism - an 'us and them' mentality

  • They separate themselves from the rest of the world and refuse to compromise with it
  • Davie - they seek to establish island of certainty against what they see as social and cultural chaos
• Fundamentalism - aggressive reaction 


  • They see it as necessary to shock, intimidate and harm, as it draws attention to their teachings
  • Leaders are authoritative and dictate strict adherence to the teachings of their religious books
• Fundamentalism - use of modern technology


  • See modern culture as corrupted by secularism, liberalism, materialism, permissiveness and promiscuity
  • Prefer to use tech as 'religion online'
• Fundamentalism - patriarchy

  • Hawley - they favour a world in which control over women's sexuality, reproductive power, and social and economic roles is fixed for all time by divine decree
• Fundamentalism - prophecy

  • 'Last days' will soon be upon us
  • All good souls will be taken to Heaven
  • Ultimate final defeat of Satan in the war of Armageddon
• Fundamentalism - conspiracy theories

  • The idea that powerful, hidden, evil forces and organisations are in control of human destiny
  • For example, the idea that Jewish people are conspiring to secure world domination