marxism, religion and change

overview

• relative autonomy - can be partly independent of the capitalist economy base of society

• dual character - being a force for change as well as stability

• engles - religion inhibits change by disguising inequality. can also encourage social change

the principle of hope

• dual character

• religion often inhibits change but can also inspire protest and rebellion

• dreams of a better life

• utopia - promise of rewards in heaven

liberation theory

• LT is a movement that emerged within the Catholic Church in Latin America in the 1960s, with a strong commitment to the poor and opposition to the military dictatorships that then ruled most of the continent.

• LT emerged because of the growth of rural poverty and urban slums throughout Latin America, and human rights abuses following military take-overs.

• LT emphasises praxis - practical action guided by theory

• However, LT played an important part in resisting dictatorship and bringing about democracy in Latin America.

millenarian movements

• They appeal mainly to the poor because they promise immediate improvement

• the cargo cults - millenarian movements in Melanesia, where islanders felt deprived when cargo (material goods) arrived in the islands for the colonists.

• diverted by the colonists for themselves, and that this was about to be overturned.

gramsci

• Hegemony - ideological domination or leadership of society - is the way the ruling class are able to use religion to maintain control

• religion can challenge the ruling class, e.g. it may help the working class to see through the ruling-class hegemony and some clergy may act as organic intellectuals

religion and class conflict

• Billings (1990) applies Gramscis ideas in a case study (early 20th century) comparing class struggle in two communities - coalminers and textile workers.

• faced harsh working conditions, low wages, and exploitation by their employers

• Both were working-class and evangelical Protestant, but the miners were much more militant, struggling for better conditions.

• Coalminers worked in dangerous environments with frequent. They organised unions to fight for better working conditions and wages.

• Textile workers faced long hours, low pay, and poor working conditions. They lacked strong union leadership and were more easily influenced by employers