Giddens argues that fundamentalism is a reaction to globalisation. He sees society as having moved to a “late modern” phase, in which globalisation has undermined traditional norms regarding the nuclear family, gender and sexuality. People are now faced with choice, uncertainty and risk and in this environment, fundamentalism flourishes as it promises certainty with its rigid, dogmatic beliefs. Giddens argues that globalisation increases fundamentalism by providing an alternative to the risk society of late modernity. Fundamentalists may reject some aspects of modernity, they embrace others in order to spread their beliefs, for example, through the Internet, email and electronic church, suggesting that fundamentalism does not represent a total rejection of globalisation and modernity.
Controversy- Pushing the Envelope or Burning it? Religion has always been a touchy subject. Throughout time wars and feuds were raged all because of religious differences. In the world of today the same thing is happening but through a different mean-art. When artists portray images revolving around religious icons the image may turn into something highly controversial.
Sarah Twiford! POL 121 American Government and Politics Final Essay Questions 1. Americans have grown increasingly cynical about politics, politicians, and the media. The relationships between citizens, information, and action are constantly changing as new media and technologies expand. How one interprets this information and correlates it into their personal beliefs and actions can be overwhelming.
Religion almost always forms divisions among societies, and that is one example demonstrated in this chapter. Other forces include education, ethnic backgrounds and economic situations among people. 4. Contrary to popular belief, throughout much of U.S. history, oppressed groups have used violence to achieve progress. What is the evidence to support this refutation of the myth of peaceful progress?
Jihad is supposed to be an internal struggle however; people often confuse it with an external struggle in which they use violence for dominance. “Despite the fact that Jihad is not supposed to include aggressive warfare, this has occurred. Jihad means to counter such threats and assert the predominance of Islam.” Intercollegiate Review; Spring2002, Vol. 37 Issue 2, p24-32, 9p Just and Unjust War in the Terrorist Age. Many people consider Jihad to be a movement which causes a problem in the Muslim community because of the misinterpretation of the religious beliefs.
It is a fact that people’s religions, when crossed, lead to bloodshed. Some of the most significant were those of the Christian Crusades. The Crusades were during a time of Western European expansion, conquest, and unspeakable atrocities. These wars were fought in the name of God, and to justify their actions they were declared as “Holy Wars”. In the Humanistic Tradition, it states on page 84, “It soon became apparent, however, that the material benefits of the Crusades outweighed the spiritual ones”.
Therefore, it can be said that religion can be used as a form of cultural defence against the rapidly increasing West. The use of religion as a cultural defence is very evident in modern times with the rise of Fundamentalism. Those from ethnic minorities opposing Western values so much that they are willing to kill others and themselves to prove this. The clash of civilisations has been evident between Islam and the West for hundreds of years but became known throughout the world after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Fundamentalists are using religion to defend their culture in a negative way and have thus created a stigma for ethnic minorities.
Despite the positive impact immigration has had on our society, each phase of immigration has also brought fear in one form or another among our native born and more established citizens. This fear has often times resulted in political movements like the “Know Nothings” that emerged as a protestant reaction to the large number of Catholics that migrated to the U.S. shortly before the Civil War. On occasion the innate fear of foreigners on the part of U.S. citizens has given rise to Federal Legislation such as the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. This bill singled out China as a group, restricting their immigration. States too have on many occasions tried to legislate their own laws regarding immigration.
The United States of America has endless complexities when it comes to it’s national identity. Despite the fact that we like to think of our country to be driven by freedom and religion, there are many aspects of our national identity that contradict what we stand for as a nation. Immigration and education are two very contradictory aspects of national identity that some feel are a great threat to this country. Immigration is one issue that some can effectively argue is an aspect of national identity that can be of great concern to America. In a research symposium titled “Immigration and National Identity” edited by Gary M. Segura, a journalist from the University of Washington stated in his introduction, "The fight...over who is an American,
- Religion; Religion is a very well know way for starting a war or a conflict. If people have different religious views, it can cause conflict between them as they believe in different gods or ways of life. An example of a Religious conflict is what is happening in Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland conflict began because many Irish Catholics consider themselves to be the Irish nationals and want to be separate from Britain whereas others consider themselves to be British and have a political outlook on