HBC251: In recent decades major world religions have seen the emergence of radical religiopolitical movements from within: Religion in Contemporary Societies Assignment, SUSS, Singapore

In recent decades major world religions have seen the emergence of radical religiopolitical movements from within. Examples of this include the Hindu nationalist movement in India, Buddhist nationalist movements in Sri Lanka and Myanmar, the Christian Right in the US, and Islamism in many Muslim societies.

Despite their open antagonism and hostility towards each other, they share certain characteristics. Beyond their parallel emergence in the same historical context, such common characteristics may include theological absolutism and political exclusivism, a need for an external enemy, the emergence of violent strains within them, and generally the politicization of religion or religionization of politics.

• Terms such as religious radicalism, extremism, or fundamentalism are sometimes used interchangeably and sometimes distinguished from each other. Discuss their meanings and explain which one of these you consider the most appropriate in the above context, and which ones may be inappropriate.
• Examine the possible reasons for the emergence of such politico-religious radicalisms/extremisms/fundamentalisms’ in the contemporary world. Some observers see them as a reaction to modernity and globalization rooted in an anachronistic (re)turn to a mythical authentic past, while others see them as a product of globalization rooted in a search for alternative modernities.