Fundamentalism - characteristics, reaction to globalisation, and secular

Bruce (2008) — 7 characteristics of fundamentalism

1. Authoritative sacred text

2. Us and them mentality

3. Aggressive reaction

4. Use of modern technology

5. Patriarchy

6. Prophecy

7. Conspiracy theories

Authoritative sacred text — ✝

• Bible is literally true

  • Contains all answers

  • Truths are inerrant and forever valid

• E.g. anyone that debates events that happened to Christ isn’t a true Christian

• Refuse to engage in rational argument

Aldridge (2013) — interpretation of religious texts

• What fundamentalists believe to be true is in fact just their interpretation of the text

  • E.g. ✝ fundamentalists see Bible as set of historical facts and prophecies

    • Deny interpretation as poetry/symbolism/metaphor

Us and them mentality — Davie (2013)

• Separate themselves from rest of 🌍

  • Refuse to compromise w/🌍

• Seek to establish ‘🏝 of certainty’ in ‘social and cultural chaos’

Aggressive reaction

• Draw attention to threat to their beliefs/values

  • Reactions = intended to shock/cause harm

• Authoritative leaders give direction to reactions

Use of modern technology

• Oppose modern culture and values yet use modern tech to achieve their aims

  • E.g. computers, weaponry

Patriarchy — Hawley (1994)

• Favour 🌍 that controls women’s sexuality, reproduction and economic roles

  • This should be fixed by divine decree

Prophecy

• Claim last days will soon be upon us — relevance of Holy Book prophecies to contemporary events

Prophecy — ✝ fundamentalism

• Faithful dead will be resurrected and transported to heaven with faithful living

• 7 year rule of Antichrist

• Final defeat of Satan in War of Armageddon

Conspiracy theories

• Idea that powerful, hidden, evil forces and orgs are in control of human destiny

Conspiracy theories — Aldridge (2013)

• Some extreme ✝ and ☪ fundamentalists hold anti-Semitic conspiracy theories

  • I.e. ✡ are conspiring to world domination

Hervieu-Léger (2000) — fundamentalism

• Form of recreated memories in late modern societies

• Have suffered cultural amnesia and forgotten their historic religious traditions

Davie (2013) — fundamentalism and modernity

• Clash between modernity and trad. cultures → fundamentalism

• Fundamentalism = when those w/trad orthodox beliefs and values feel threatened by modernity

  • Therefore fundamentalism = defense against modernity

Giddens (1999) — fundamentalism and globalisation

• Fundamentalism = negative reaction to globalisation

  • Globalisation undermines traditional social norms, meaning modernity is an era defined by choice, uncertainty and risk

    • Fundamentalism provides stability

2 CRITICISMS of Giddens (1999) — Backford (2011)

1. Ignores differences between types of fundamentalism

2. Ignores reinvention of traditions as reflective of modernity, as well as defensive

Giddens (1999) — cosmopolitanism and globalisation

• Cosmopolitanism = positive reaction to globalisation

  • Reflexive thinking tolerance of other views, openness to new ideas

Giddens (1999) — 3 features of cosmopolitanism

1. Arguments = justified by rationality and evidence

2. Lifestyle = personal choice, not influenced by external factors

3. Personal meaning and self-improvement> submission to authority

CRITICISM of Giddens (1999) — Beckford (2011)

• Too firm distinction between cosmopolitanism and fundamentalism— what about hybrid movements?

Bauman (1992) — identities and modernity

• Modernity is more fluid, flexible and chaotic, which is reflected in IDs

  • Fundamentalism = fear response to this PoMo 🌍

Castells (2010) — 2 responses to PoMo

1. Resistance ID

2. Project ID

Castells (2010) — resistance ID

• Defensive

• Feel threatened

• Retreat to fundamentalist communties

Castells (2010) — project ID

• Forward-looking

• Engagement w/social mvts like feminism and environmentalism

CRITICISM of fundamentalism and modernity — Beckford (2011)

• Fixation on fundamentalism — what about effect of globalisation on non-fundamentalist religions

CRITICISM of fundamentalism and modernity — Haynes (1998)

• Ignore other factors that contributed to ☪ fundamentalism

  • M.E. geopolitics

Bruce (2008) — monotheism and fundamentalism

• Fundamentalism = confined to monotheistic religions

• Monotheism — no room for differentiation so people more likely to have their belief and stick to it

  • 1 God

  • 1 authoritative sacred text

Bruce (2008) — polytheism and fundamentalism

• Polytheism — many interpretations, so not one is seen as the absolute truth

  • Many Gods

  • No one text

  • 🕉 ≈ collection of religions

Bruce (2008) — fundamentalism in W. societies

• Reaction to internal change

  • E.g. increasing diversity → ✝ New Right in 🇺🇸

Bruce (2008) — fundamentalism in developing societies

• Reaction to external changes

  • E.g. globalisation and imposition of W. values → ☪ revolution in 🇮🇷

Davie (2013) — secular fundamentalism

• Both secular and religious movements can become fundamentalist

  • This means fundamentalism is more normalised in modern society

Davie (2013) — 2 phases of modernity

1. Enlightenment → 1960s

2. 1970s → present

Davie (2013) — 2 features of 1st phase of modernity and reaction

1. Domination of secular thought

2. Undermining of religious certainties

• Reaction: religious fundamentalism

Davie (2013) — 3 causes, 2 features and reaction to 2nd phase of modernity

• Causes: globalisation, environmental concerns, collapse of communism

1. Pessimism

2. Uncertainty

• Consequences: loss of faith in major secular Enlightenment ideologies like rationalism and liberalism → supporters of secular ideologies like nationalism attracted to fundamentalism

Davie (2013) — 2 examples of secular fundamentalism

1. Disintegration of Yugoslavia, ethnic cleansing

2. Religion laws in 🇫🇷 re 🧕, pork

Ansell (2000) — secular fundamentalism

• Secular fundamentalism = cultural racism

  • Use of liberal language of equality and integration whilst denying racist aims

  • Reality: preserves dominant group’s ID and way of life, legitimises exclusion of religious and cultural minorities