Summary
Title: Fundamentalism: The Search for Meaning
Author: Malise Ruthven
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192840916
Pro:
• Short, easily-read work that covers a lot of ground
• Should serve as a great introduction to the nature of fundamentalism for many different readers
Con:
• Being short, it naturally lacks comprehensiveness
Description:
• Overview of the nature of fundamentalism and what is unique about it
• Explores how fundamentalism appears in various religious
• Discusses the impact of fundamentalism on culture, politics, and diplomacy
Book Review
During the Cold War most international conflicts were framed in the context of the United States vs. the Soviet Union. Today most conflicts seem to involve religion — specifically, religious fundamentalism. Although conflicts also involve economic or territorial issues, there is little doubt that without the driving force of fundamentalism, the problems wouldn’t be as heated or violent. What, though, drives fundamentalism itself? What really fundamentalism and how has it affected world politics?
Because of the way in which religious fanaticism can fuel the fires of violence, these are very important questions. Although it was originally created to describe a particular brand of conservative Protestantism in America, the term “fundamentalism” has come to apply to a wide variety of phenomena across many religions. Because of this, there is no simple formula for discussing fundamentalism and analyzing its influence.
One new contribution to the discussion is the book Fundamentalism: The Search for Meaning, by Malise Ruthven.
Probably the most definitive resource on religious fundamentalisms around the world would be the multiple volumes of The Fundamentalism Project, edited by Martin E. Mary and R. Scott Appleby. This short work from Ruthven is no replacement for that set, but most people cannot afford to buy such a set and, even if they could, most wouldn’t sit down to read the whole thing. For a lot of people, then, something much smaller and more concise is needed — a gap which this volume could do a good job filling.
As a general principle, Ruthven argues that what defines fundamentalism is the self-conscious employment of traditional religious beliefs in a struggle against modernity, pluralism, and choice:
Fundamentalism: The Search for Meaning
- Fundamentalists are nothing if not selective about the texts they use and their mode of interpretation. They are also much more innovative in the way they interpret the texts they select than is often supposed. In this respect they may be contrasted with traditionalists. ...From this perspective, fundamentalism may be defined as ‘tradition made self-aware and consequently defensive.’ In Samuel Heilaman’s words, ‘traditionalism is not fundamentalism, but a necessary correlate to it.’
- Many of the fundamentalist groups investigated by scholars subscribe to this mythical idea of a time when the problems and conflicts that beset modern society (drug and alcohol abuse, uncontrolled sexuality, criminal behavior, and child abuse) were much less prevalent than today. ...In all such cases the vision is monocultural. The group or enclave it supports rejects the pluralism and diversity which constitute one of the defining characteristics of the modern world. Modernity pluralizes, introducing choices (including religious choices) where none existed before.
