Fundamentalisms, modernities and global political tensions

On politically mobilized religion

  • Heinrich Shäfer
Keywords: Fundamentalism, Islamic world, Clash of civilizations, North-South conflict, Religious identity, Postcolonial thinking

Abstract

The "clash of civilizations" has become an easy formula - albeit widely debated - to understand relations, especially between "the west" and "the Islamic world." The problem is that such a clash does not exist. Rather, and this is the thesis of this article, there is a conflict between Western fundamentalists and Islamic fundamentalists. It is these who make us believe that there is a clash of civilizations, rather than a clash of fundamentalisms. The aim is to win public support for the fundamentalist cause. The effect is to make disappear the old base conflict - the unfair distribution of the planet's wealth - behind religious identity strategies.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.
Published
2019-08-08
How to Cite
Shäfer, Heinrich. “Fundamentalisms, Modernities and Global Political Tensions: On Politically Mobilized Religion”. Vida y Pensamiento 38, no. 2 (August 8, 2019): 9-54. Accessed December 22, 2024. https://revistas.ubl.ac.cr/index.php/vyp/article/view/52.