Download Religion and social change

Religion and social
change
1.
TO DESCRIBE A RANGE OF EXAMPLES ON RELIGION
AND ANALYSE THEIR ROLE IN SOCIAL CHANGE
2. UNDERSTAND SOCIOLOGICAL EXPLANTIONS OF THE
ROLE OF RELIGION IN SOCIAL CHANGE
3. EVALUATE RELATIONSHIP THE ANALYSIS BETWEEN
RELIGION, SOCIAL STABILITY AND SOCIAL CHANGE
The role of religion
•
Sociologists that have studied the role of religion in society
tend to fall into one of two broad camps:
1. Those who see religion as a CONSERVATIVE force
(conservative means keeping things the way they are.)
These sociologists see religion as a force for stability and
order. They may well favour a functionalist or a Marxist
point of view.
2. Those who see religion as FORCE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE–
supporters of this position point to the role of religion in
encouraging societies to change. They may well be
influenced by the writings of Max Weber.
Religion is a conservative force
1. Religion is traditional and upholds traditional
customs and beliefs to how society should be
organised.
2. It functions to conserve or preserve the status
quo
Conservative force
• Maintain
traditional
beliefs
Maintain patriarchy?
Religion’s conservative function
Functionalism
Traditional
Marxism
Feminism
• Religion and consensus
• Maintains social stability, social solidarity and value
consensus.
• Outlet for stress that may otherwise disrupt society
• Religion and Capitalism
• Religion prevents social change in the interests of
powerful
• Legitimates and reproduces inequality and disguises
exploitation
• Religion and Patriarchy
• Religion is an ideology that legitimises patriarchal
power and maintains women’s subordination
Weber
Religion as a force for change
An Example:
The Protestant Ethic
Calvinism
Capitalism
Calvinism brought about a work ethic that gave
rise to capitalism (was one of the contributing
factors, others resources, trade etc)
Weber
Religion as a force for change
• The spirit of capitalism
• Capitalism is based on the systematic,
efficient, rational pursuit of profit for its own
sake, rather then consumption (not spent on
greed for wealth as in pat).
• The spirit had Elective affinity (unconscious
similarity) to the Calvinist beliefs and
attitudes.
Calvinist beliefs
•Predestination
Divine
Transcendence
Asceticism
The idea of vocation or calling
•God has
predetermined
which souls will
be saved
•The individual
can do nothing
to change this
•salvation
anxiety – not
knowing if
heaven or hell
awaited.
•God is so
immortal and
great that no
human can claim
to know his will
(including priests).
•This gives rise to
loneliness.
•This combined
with
predestination
created what
Weber refers to as
salvation panic
•Abstinence,
self
discipline
and self
denial.
•Live a
simple life as
Jess did
•Other world asceticism a calling
to serve God (Monks) used to be
the only calling
• Weber believed that Calvinism
introduced this world asceticism .
•That we work to glorify Gods
name and we do this through
mythological work in society (as a
religious duty)
•Idleness is a sin, no luxury, long
working hours
•Performed 2 functions:
1. Allowed Calvinists to cope
with their salvation panic
2. Reinforced the gains of more
wealth. The spirit of modern
capitalism.
Hinduism and Confucianism
• Other societies had a higher rate of economic
growth then Northern Europe in the C16th and
C17th, but still failed to adopt modern capitalism.
• China and India were more materially advanced
but didn’t adopt capitalism due to their lack of
religious belief like Calvinism.
• They promote rewards in the other life, good
deeds and other goals that lacked the material
drive that Calvinism created.
Evaluation of Weber
• Before we begin, write down 3 key points that
you feel summarise Weber’s theory.
• Religion is a force for social change
• The Protestant work ethic
• Theodicy - predestination
Evaluation of Weber
• Some commentators have
suggested that slavery,
colonialism and piracy were
more important than
Calvinist beliefs in
accumulating the capital
required for
industrialisation.
• PARKIN – is critical of Weber
as capitalism was late to
develop in Scotland, despite
Calvinism being present
there.
• Marxists are critical – they
argue that capitalism
predates Calvinism.RH
Tawney – technological
change give rise to
capitalism. Then B adopted
ideas to maintain it
• Bruce & Hamilton –
Weber’s theory lacks
validity based on
assumption, not
evidence
• Kautsky– Weber
overestimates ideas
and underestimates
the economic factors
• Jones surprising
relevance for
contemporary
society – can see
evidence in modern
day society
Religion and Social protest
• Steve Bruce – Relationship between religion
and social change.
• Compares the role of religiously inspired
protest movements in the USA
http://www.youtube.com/watc
h?v=gBPeCQzHu5w
• Civil Rights
• The new Christian Right
The American Civil Rights
Movement
• Bruce –
• CRM = Religiously motivated social change
• Campaigning involved direct action (marches, boycotts,
demonstrations).
• Segregation outlawed in 1964
• The Black Clergy played a major role (Dr Martin Luther
King) giving moral legitimacy to activists. They provided
sanctuary and unity. Appealed to common Christian
values of equality
Bruce – Religion is an ideological resource
•CRM helped
religion get
involved with a
secular struggle
and bring about
change.
Channelling
dissent
Taking the
moral high
ground
Religious
organisations
role in social
change
Mobilising
public
opinion
Acting as an
honest
broker
•It had the shared
values of those in
power and those in
wider society and
could use these to
push for change
10 mark question
• Identify and explain two ways in which the use
of religion benefited the American Civil Rights
movement.
The New Christian Right
•
•
•
•
Protestant fundamentalists
Opposition to the liberalising society
Want to take America ‘back to God’
Want abortion, homosexuality and divorce
illegal and ban SRE in schools
• Want traditional family and gender roles and
teaching of creationism only in schools.
The New Christian Right
• Campaigns increase profile since 1970s
• Use of media – Televangelists – to make
converts and recruit new members
• Links with the Republican party
• New moral majority formed as a pressure
group
The New Christian Right
• The NCR has been largely unsuccessful
• New moral majority – not a majority – but 15% of
population
• Found it difficult to cooperate with other religious
groups
• Oppositional groups – pro-choice
• Bruce NCR = Failed movement for social change
• Didn't connect with the mainstream beliefs about
democracy, equality and religious freedom (as CRM
did)
10 mark Question
• Identify and explain 2 reasons why the New
Cristian Right movement may have failed to
achieve its aims
Marxism, religion and change
• Marxists recognise that religious ideas can
have relative autonomy (can be partly
independent from the economic base) so can
sometimes be a force for change as well as
stability
• Marx thinks religion humanises a world that
exploitation has made inhuman
• Engels – inhibits change but can also
challenge the status quo and encourage social
change- fight against slavery
Marxism, religion and change
Reading page 16-18
• Like Engels – (inhibits change but can
also challenge the status quo and
encourage social change)- Ernst Bloch
believed that religion could inspire
protest and rebellion.
• Religion is an expression of the ‘principal
of hope’
• Cast a vision of a better world and how
this can be achieved (with political
organisation leading to social change)
Liberation theology
• Emerged in 1960s, Catholic church, opposition to
military dictatorships and commitment to helping
the poor in Latin America.
• Big move away for the Church from supporting
elites and accepting poverty.
• Arose due to 3 factors
1. Deepening rural poverty
2. Human rights abuses by military dictatorships
3. Commitment of priests to ideology that
supported HR and the poor
Liberation theology
• Priests harboured freedom fighters, developed literacy
programmes, took the sides of the oppressed and
mobilised support.
• In 1980s the Church’s official line changed and it
condemned liberation theory on the grounds that it
resembled Marxism.
• The priests had to concentrate on the pastoral activities –
not political struggles.
• The movement has since lost influence.
• Most countries are now democracies and Catholicism has
got more conservative.
• But still defends democracy and HR
Liberation theology
• Liberation theory has led Marxists to believe that religion
can be a force for social change.
• Otto Maduro – religion can be a revolutionary force that
brings about change. The religious ideas radicalised the
clergy in the fight for the peasants and workers
• Lowy – questions Marx’s view that religion always
legitimises social inequality.
• Other Marxists disagree that it can bring about change –
depends on definition of the social change
Millenarian movements p17-18
• Millenarian movements are an example of the
desire to change things on earth at present
and bring about the kingdom of God.
• Millenarian movements expect the immanent
transformation of this world by supernatural
means. The group will be saved on earth and
will live in utopia on earth – Peter Worsley
• Worked well amongst poor, exploited groups,
especially in the colonies.
Millenarian movements
• Millenarian movements used traditional beliefs, ideas and
images with Christianity .
• They united tribal movements and became mass
movements.
• They were the precurver to the political movements to
overthrow colonial rule.
• For Marxists they were the first awakening of the
proletarian self consciousness
• Your tasks: What are cargo cults?
• How did they combine traditional beliefs and Christianity?
• How are they linked to social change?
Gramsci: Religion and hegemony
• Interested in ISAs – how the government use
ideas to control society.
• Hegemony – the way the RC use ideas
(RELIGION) to control the WC
• Government have popular consent to rule so
there is no need for coercion.
• Catholic Church helped win support
For Mussolini’s fascist regime.
Gramsci: Religion and hegemony
• Hegemony isn't always guaranteed – WC can
develop an alternative vision or a counter
hegemony.
• Religion has a dual culture that can challenge
as well as support the RC.
Your task: Explain Gramsci's idea that religion can promote change
as well as maintain ruling class ideology.
Religion and class conflict –
Dwight Billings: A modern application of Gramschi
Compared the Coalminers & Textile workers struggle. The coalminers were more
militant and forceful the textile workers more accepting and inactive
Coalminers &
Textile workers
struggle
Leadership
Organisation
Your task: Fill in
details on this
mind map for
miners and
another for
textile workers
Support
Religion can play an important role in effecting class struggle (other factors did play
a part too)