Fundamentalism and globalisation

• What is fundamentalism?


  Religion Based on own questioning belief in the literal truth of sacred text. They believe there is only one true view of the world, which is revealed in a sacred text, not gained through rational arguments or Scientific enquiry
• Giddens - globalisation VS fundamentalism?


  Giddens highlights that fundamentalism is a relatively new concept. He argues that the reason society has seen a growth in fundamentalism is because they are reacting against the globalised postmodern direction that the world 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 religion at the fundamental traditional level
• Fundamentalism VS cosmopolitanism?


  cosmopolitanism- a way of thinking about the world that embraces modernisation is tolerant of his views is characterised by diversity, freedom, choice, and uncertainty. It is a threat to many religions which prefer traditional closed muse, regulation and order.
• Fundamentalism is a response to postmodernity? - Bauman 


  Bauman highlights that, although diversity, choice and freedom in the post-modern world are potentially positive factors, they also heighten uncertainty and risk as such fundamentalism attempts to restore certainty and eliminate risk
• Castells 2 responses to post modernism?


  Project identities - Are forward-looking response which embraces progression and change

  Resistant identities - A defensive reaction of those who feel threatened and turned to fundamentalism
• Bruce what is monotheism and fundamentalism?


  Castell’s idea of two responses to post modernism is fathered by Bruce, who suggest that fundamentalism tends To be found in monotheistic (The belief in one God) Religions As they are very And have one overriding truth. G Christianity and Islam is a religions which have pantheon of gods then to have thermal scope and I’m more accepting of change as they are too many interpretations and views
• Bruce also brings attention to different types of fundamentalism?

  Western fundamentalism -Usually developed as a result of change occurring within their own society e.g. the Christian new right in the USA

  • third world fundamentalism - tends to develop as a result to outside of cultures forcing change on these Third World societies e.g Islamic revolution in Iran
• Criticisms of Giddens, Bauman, castells and Bruce?


  Backford, they ignore hybrid communities, where cosmopolitanism And fundamentalism are not polar opposites, e.g. the use of media and technologies

  They are Fixated on how globalisation affects fundamentalism and ignores the effects on general religions

  Giddens doesn’t distinguish between types of fundamentalism

  Extremism is not just a reaction to globalisation, but also to more localised problems
• How is religion and cultural defence?


  As the world globalises, national identities, mean, less, and less E.G politicians now talk about European community, or the Middle East rather than identifying individual countries.
• How is religion and cultural defence?


  so societies around the world are experiencing a crisis of identity, whereby their culture, language, traditions and policies are becoming less. Individual national identities are being replaced by collective international identity. So as a response to this many countries use their religion to restore their individual identities, so religion act as a cultural defence away of holding onto national heritage tradition and culture and politics.
• Poland and capitalism?


  during this era Poland was under communism rule, forced upon them by Russian Soviet union. Catholicism was suppressed during this time, but still acted as a symbol of Polish national identity. The Catholic churches supported the solidarity free movement which helped to bringing down the communist rule, since this, the church has been very influential in Polish politics
• Iranian revolution


  In the 1950s, the Democratic government in Iran was overthrown by a pro-western regime which was supported by Western oil companies and western gov. This westernised regime was ran drawing the 1960s/70s the successor attempted to force westernise values on Iran by banning the Vale and replacing the Iranian calendar with Western friendly calendar. Islamic religion was used as a focal point to rally opposition against the Regime. Islamic revolution helped create Islamic Republic, where clerics How to state power and Helped restore traditional Islamic value back into Iran
• Huntington and the clash of civilisations?


  It is about Civilisations, which people belong to, he argued that these civilisations are linked with religion, and therefore, religious identities are becoming increasingly more central to modern world. He identified the following civilisations in the world western, Confucian (China), Japanese, Islamic, Hindu, Slovakia-orthodox, Latin America and Africa, he argues that conflict occurs when the civilisations come in conflict with civilisations with opposing ideology
• Huntington and the clash of civilisations?

  This is happening more than ever because religion is becoming more and more important as a source of national identity. Also globalisation means that civilisations are more likely to be in contact with each other, which means old conflict reimagine easier in the globalised world religion creates an earth versus the mentality competition for wealth and power grows on the global Scale
• Criticisms of Huntington ?


  • Jackson says that Huntington work is an example of orientalism (Western ideology that stereotypes, eastern nations and people as Untrustworthy in theory, or fanatical others) And serves to justify exploitation and human rights abuse by the west
  • Casanova- Huntington ignores important religious diversity within the civilisations he identifies
• Criticisms of Huntington ?


  • horrie and chippindale - the Clash of civilisations is a glossy, misleading neoconservative ideology that portrays the whole of Islam as the enemy, in reality, only a tiny minority of the 1.5 billion Muslims in the world are remotely interested in a holy war against the west
  • Armstrong Hostel towards the west doesn’t stand from fundamentalism Islam, but it is a reaction to the foreign policies in the western east
• Criticisms of Huntington ?


  Inglehart and Norris religion and policies don’t cause a clash of civilisations. It is attitudes towards sexuality and gender liberalism that causes the real clash. e.g approve of political and social values in western and Muslim society, on a strong leader, western, 61%, Muslim 61%. whereas approval of political and social religions of homosexuality is 53% in western and 25% in Muslim
• Strengths of Huntington?


  • Davie- the threat of modernity since the enlightenment in late 18th century to traditional value leads to increase in fundamentalism. Certain and security is a response to the chaos of social change. Fundamentalism is increasing as a result of globalisation and modernity and can be seen as a Clash of culture
• God and globalisation in India?


  • Globalisation created a huge and prosperous, well educated MC, many working in IT, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology secularisation thesis predicts these will be the people who reject religion, quickest in favour of secularisation.
  • however Nanda Says the fast majority of this class contribute to the belief in the supernatural.
  • the centre For the study of developing societies, 2007, say that Indians are becoming more religious and urban, educated Indians are being more religious than rural, less educated Indians and spending more time visiting shrines temples
• Nanda says about India and religion?


  Middle-class religiosity also contains an attraction to lower-class gods as they're more responsive to people's needs than traditional Hindu Gods. She rejects poverty and existential security as an explanation as well as the idea that their religiosity is a defensive reaction to modernisation and Westernisation.She argues that increasing religiosity is the result of their ambivalence about their newfounc wealth. legitimates the position of the middle-class and allows them to adjust to globalised consumer capitalism.
• what Hindu ultra- nationalism?


  Nanda also examines the role of Hinduism in legitimising a triumphalist of India, nationalism.

  the pew Playball, attitude survey, found that 93% of Indians agreed with the statement that our people are not perfect, but our culture is superior others. Nanda that India’s success in the global market is increasingly attributed to the superiority of Hinduism values are constantly promoted by the media and politicians along with the idea that Hinduism is a sense of Indian culture and identity
• Capitalism in East Asia ?


  In recent decades, 'East Asian tiger economies' (e.g. South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan) have industrialised and become significant players in the global economy. the success of capitalism in East Asia has led some sociologists to believe that religion has played a role similar to one Calvinism played in the development of capitalism.
• Pentecostalism in Latin America? Burger?


  • Berger argues that Pentecostalism in Latin America acts as a 'functional equivalent' to Weber's Protestant ethic, it encourages the development of capitalism today in the same way as Calvinism did.

  • Latin American embrace the work ethic and lifestyle similar to that of Calvinists.

  • Pentecostalism has an affinity with modern capitalism.

  • Berger a lifestyle like Protestants is necessary when promoting economic development and lifting people out of poverty.

  • However, he adds that religious ideas alone are not enough, natural resources are also needed.