2. Global system corrodes inherited or
constructed cultural and personal identities:
yet also encourages the creation and
revitalization of particular identities as a way
of gaining control over systematic power.
Religion within the global system can be anti
and pro at the same time. It can further
globalization while opposing its effects
3. Globalization brings with it the relativization
of particularistic identities along with the
relativization and marginalization of religion
as a mode of social communication.
Revitalization of religion is a way of asserting
a particular (group) identity, which in turn is a
prime method of competing for power and
influence in the global system.
4. The key to the problem of SV for many
Muslims is that it represents the larger global
pressure towards the relativization of religion
and group-cultural identity as the price for
fuller inclusion in the global system. They are
being asked to bracket who they are and what
they hold most sacred.
5. Dichotomy – Profane/sacred
Primarily about something beyond the normal
Immanence/Transcendence
Posits the transcendent to give the immanent
world meaning
Transcendent is not subject to the root
indeterminacy of the immanent
Transcendent as a social partner, logically
beyond the perceptible and humanly social
world
6. The situation is new and unique in the history
of humanity
Discontinuity between past and now or future
Wallerstein – cycles and crises
Dunn and Rubinson – a Change in the
fundamental nature of the world system
Meyer and Hannan – radical change in the
future because the current patterns will run
up against global limits
7. Stems from the logical difficulty of conceiving
a whole without something to differentiate it
from and compare it to.
We cannot conceive the whole in terms of one
of its parts
Conceiving the global whole is a highly
problematic and contested but central to
theory and actors (Robertson)
Globalization theories are developments of
the fundamental modernization thesis.
Expansion of Western modernity
8. Western imperialism
Leads to repeated clash of different particular
cultures
British Empire’s civilising project and
American free world
The spread of one historically existing culture
at the expense of all others
Global social reality relativizes all particular
cultures including religions –
homogenization, disappearence of local
cultures?
9. Religions express the wholeness of societies
(Durkheim)
To survive they face challenges from
relativization
Being absolutes this results in crises
Nothing fundamental is changing is not the
only way
Openness to change a prime warrant for the
continued authenticity of the tradition
10. ‘Immanuel Wallerstein - analyse the social
whole from an economic determinism
European world economy created
geographical divisions – core, periphery and
semiperiphery
The struggle between those who benefit and
who do not – class conflicts - cycle
11. Meyer – Political economy – World Political
system operates to restructure and alter this
economy and transform social life
States are the legitimate representatives of
their citizens because they pursue the
globally legitimate ends of progress and
equality
Conformity to world polity norms carries its
rewards
World economy and polity mutually reinforces
modes of value creation
12. Robertson - Individual – society
Modernisation in every society
To intrasocietal problems to intersocietal one
globalization
How societies respond to individuals and inter-
societal one
National societies continue to exist and are
prime actors in the global system of societies as
well as prime, but no longer sole determinants
in personal identity
Good society on the basis of progress –
universalization of particularism and
particularization of universalism
13. Luhmann – society consists of social systems –
which in turn actions – which are based on
meaningful communication
Stratified and differentiated societies
Domination of upper strata
Stratification and rationalisation results of
modernity
Communication displays cognitive and
adaptive orientations
Expectations – normative and learning
Normative rationality and structuring of
society – no powerful hindrance to modernity
