AQA A-Level Sociology: Religious fundamentalism

Davie (2013) argues that fundamentalism occurs when people who hold traditional beliefs and values...

• have no contact with the outside world and therefore become increasingly extreme in their views.

• feel threatened by modernity and want to defend themselves against this threat.

• are open to social change and values they themselves don't believe in.

• learn about other religions and their beliefs.

Anthony Giddens (1999) has a similar view, he reckons that fundamentalism is a product and reaction to globalisation ...

• because people enjoy learning about other cultures and traditions such as New Age due to improved internet communication

• because people can travel internationally with more ease

• because people get to know other cultures and start questioning traditional social norms

• because people want to celebrate their own religious identity and let others know about it

According to Giddens, late modern society is characterised by (tick all that apply)

• risk

• fun

• choice

• uncertainty

Faced with a rapid changing, uncertain world, fundamentalists prefer (tick all that apply)

• rigid explanations of right and wrong

• faith-based answers

• dogmatic beliefs

• following clear rules

Fundamentalism exists

• predominantly in Islam

• geographically particularly in what's called the 'bible belt' in the US

• in most world religions

• only in monotheistic religions

Giddens defines 'cosmopolitanism' as the opposite of fundamentalism. Cosmopolitanism is characterised by (tick all that apply)

• seeing someone's lifestyle as personal choice

• tolerance of others

• open attitudes to changing social values

• living in big cities

Cosmopolitanism looks for answers

• in sacred texts

• in rational arguments backed up by evidence

Giddens' view of cosmopolitan religion is similar to...

• Lyons, when he talks about 're-enchantment' of the world

• Hervieu-Léger's 'pilgrims' who explore new spiritual ideas

• Davie's idea of 'believing without belonging'

• Talcott Parsons' ideas about structural differentiation

While Giddens and Davie see Fundamentalism as a response to modernity, Zygmund Bauman and Manuel Castells both think it's actually a response to ...

• Secularisation

• Disenchantment

• Decline of traditional communities

• Postmodernity

While Giddens contrasts fundamentalism with cosmopolitanism, Castells (2010) distinguishes between two responses to postmodernity. Which of these two would correspond to Giddens' definition of cosmopolitanism?

• Resistance identity

• Project identity