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Proponents of modernization theory
Proponents of modernization theory
modernization theory essays
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The Kemalist understanding of the secular and secularism which has characterised the institutional and legal framework of Turkish society since the foundation of the Republic is tightly linked to the concept of modernity. A legacy of the Enlightenment, modernisation theses hold that as reason supplants superstition, religion's influence on society will recede. If Kant held thatt “the spread of knowledge and reason would mean […] “holding religion within the bounds of reason”” (Benhabib, 2010:452), Weber went further to argue that modernisation would mean “dispensing with religion altogether in the name of modern reason and an emancipated society” (ibid). Such approaches were instrumental to the Kemalist project of Westernisation of Turkish society.
Historical background
However, notions of the secular and the modern did not emerge with Mustafa Kemal. The modernisation tide began well before his rise to power. Already in the 19th century, Ottoman elites realised the need for reform to address nationalism within and imperial threats without. Hence, the Tanzimat reforms (1839-1876) were meant to modernise (i.e. Westernise) and consolidate the empire. A centralised and bureaucratic system was established and efforts were made to inculcate a sense of Ottomanism to the empire's multi-ethnic subjects (Kuru, 2009b:205-8). Secular courts, schools and laws were formally established and coexisted along with Islamic institutions. No explicit secular ideology was, however, framed and no contradiction was perceived in this cohabitation of the secular and the sacred (ibid). The sultan himself embodied this coexistence as both a temporal and spiritual leader. Already in the 19th century existed this idea that Islam and modernity, including Is...
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Kuru, A. T., 2009a, “Assertive Secularism and the Islamic Challenge (1997-2008)”, in Secularism and State Policies Towards Religion, Cambridge University Press, pp.161-201
Kuru, A. T., 2009b, “Westernisation and the Emergence of Assertive Secularism (1826-1997)”, in Secularism and State Policies Towards Religion, Cambridge University Press, pp.202-235
Shambayati, H. and Kirdis, E., 2009, “In Pursuit of Contemporary Civilisation”, Political Research Quarterly, 62, pp.767-780
Susen, S., 2011, Critical Notes on Habermas' Theory of the Public Sphere, Sociological Analysis, 5(1), pp. 37-62
Tröndle, D., 2007, “The Relationship between Islam and Democracy in Turkey”, International Reports of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, 12
Yilmaz, I., 2002, “Secular Law and the Emergence of Unofficial Turkish Islamic law”, Middle East Journal, 56(1), pp. 113-131
The secularization paradigm Bruce argues ‘is a set of associated explanations rather than a single theory’ (Pg.43). To build on this argument Bruce provides us with a diagram of the secularization paradigm with 22 key contributing factors; some showing the religiosity of societies i.e. the protestant reformation and monotheism, some exploring other factors which have contributed towards secularization such as Industrial Capitalism, Technological Consciousness and Social Differentiation and he provides an explanation of these concepts in order to provide the reader with an analysis of these themes. This can however be problematic in the sense that the terminology of the paradigm may well be understood by individuals studying or in the field of sociology but for individuals who are looking to develop their knowledge on the debate of secularization and religion can make this difficult. Bruce argues that modernization is one of the main causes of secularization. ‘‘Modernization brought with it increased cultural diversity in three different ways. First populations moved and brought their language, religion and social mores with them in a new setting. Secondly, the expansion of the increasingly expansive nation state meant that new groups were brought into the state. But thirdly…modernization created cultural pluralism through the proliferation of classes and class fragmentation with increasingly diverse
Shaw, Stanford Jay, and Ezel Kural Shaw, History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey, Cambridge University Press
17Kili, Dr. Suna. ?Islam and Secularism in Contemporary Turkey.? Voice of Ataturk: Ataturk Society of America. Web. Dec. 10 2013.
Hilāl, ʻAlī Al-Dīn. Islamic Resurgence in the Arab World. New York, NY: Praeger, 1982. Print.
Moore, Kathleen M. “Muslims in the United States: Pluralism under Exceptional Circumstances.” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 612, Religious Pluralism and Civil Society (July 2007). 116-132.
Hanegraaff, Wouter J. "New Age Religion and Secularization." Religions in the Disenchanted World. Spec. issue of Numen: an International Review for the History of Religions 47.3 (2000): 288-312.
These features have in a larger way eroded advancements in western civilization. The ideals of individualism, personal interest at the expense of political engagement and reason have been particularly affected. He makes comment on moral energy leading to the rise of what we currently view as modernity. Jean’s “Democracy on trial” on the other hand tries to address the issue of regulation and the political economy. The writer comes to the conclusion that governments do not simply make regulations out of nowhere. There are motivations for such actions (Taylor,
Between 1301 to 1922, in the region north of present day Syria, was known as the Ottoman empire. It was rooted in the belief that Islam as an ideology should be in power. One territory held by the Ottoman empire was their homeland of Turkey. In 1907, the Sultan Abdul Hamid II, wanted for the most part to have people who were educated outside of the country limited in what they could do, and if not then they were expunged, as he thought that they were the cause of his land’s plight and decline. This resulted in him becoming very unpopular with his people, thus having many secret societies created practically under his nose. The most important being The Young Turks.
G. Hossein. “Legitimacy, Religion, and Nationalism in the Middle East.” The American Political Science Review, Volume 84, Issue 1 (1990. 3), 69-91.
Bradlaugh. "Secular Right | Reality & Reason." RSS. N.p., 29 Apr. 2009. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
Adrian Pabst (2012). The secularism of post-secularity: religion, realism, and the revival of grand theory in IR. Review of International Studies, 38, pp 995-1017.
Burns, Thomas J. "Islam." Religion and Society. OU Campus' Dale Hall, Norman. 14 Apr. 2014. Lecture.
...olutionist reforms proved permanent, and gave Turkey domestic peace and a measure of prosperity even in his lifetime. But Kemalism has also left Turkey with a divided identity - Europeanised but not quite European, alienated from the Islamic world but still a Muslim country.
Secularization is a controversial form of social change in modern day society. Secularization is a concept derived from a Latin word meaning “the present age,” the term is generally associated with modern, technologically, and advanced societies. “Secularism is a political tradition that has been evolving for eighteenth centuries. It shares important relationships with other traditions, sustaining complex ties with Judeo-Christianity, and maintaining a long-standing relationship with Islam” ( Hurd, 2004). The term secular has taken on many different meaning through history. The earliest references can be traced to the 13th century, when the notion of the saeculum arose in reference to a binary opposition within Christianity. Priests who withdrew from the world (saeculum) formed the religious clergy, while those living in the world formed the secular clergy (Casanova, 1994). The notion of the ‘secular’ has taken on a range of different meanings over the past eighteen centuries. In today society, the world secular is used to describe a world thought to be in motion, the moving away from religious influence in everyday life.
Hall, Stuart. "The West and the Rest: 1 - Introduction." Modernity: an Introduction to Modern Societies. Eds. Stuart Hall, David Held, Don Hubert and Kenneth Thompson. 1996. Blackwell Publishers, Ltd.: Oxford. pp. 185 – 189