Lesson 9
Religion and Globalization
Religious nationalism happens in a nation-state. It is the association of religious belief
and practices with a community or nation. For example, in the early Hebrew and Jews
communities, they associated religious belief with their political practice. Some political policies
in ancient Hebrew and Jewish were written in their Holy Scriptures. Since religious belief is
enclosed in a nation's culture, some religious belief in some cases, became a state-nation
identity, such as the Buddhism and Hinduism of India, the Confucianism and Taoism of China
and Shintoism of Japan. Discrimination and violence have also happened throughout human
history, such as the conflict over converting to Muslim Indians in India and the domination and
harassment of the minor religious community in some state.
Secularization
Some sociologists consider the great effect of religion on social life or on social
interactions and, because of the emergence of different conflict in human interactions brought
by religion, secularization exists. Secularization is the disassociation of spiritual or religious
practice in some dimensions of human interaction or in some sociological dimensions of human
existence. Many condemn the separation state-nation through secularization and consider that
it will lead to the decline of religiosity of the community and will lead to ignorance about the
knowledge of God and godliness. This will also affect their morality.
Effects of Religion in a nation or state
Religious Extremism
Extremism is a kind of extreme support to an ideology that sometimes produces
violence and coercion, one example of this is religious extremism. Because of the connection of
the overvalued religious belief in state-nation, religious extremism exists. Religion also
influences some violence like the bombing of WTC or 9-11 attack. It was triggered by the
exploitation of oil in Middle East but reports says that the Jihadist warrior sacrificed themselves
in the name of Allah, the God of Muslim religion.
Deterritorialization of Religion
Deterritorialization of religion happens when a state's culture, like religion, confuses the
boundary and territory of two nations. (Brazalote, 2019) This case happened on the boundary
of India's Hindu community and Pakistan, a Muslim country where, when some Indians were
converted into Muslim religion they experienced discrimination and direct assaults, and they
were not hindered by the authorities of India. The concept of deterritorialization is also avoided
in labor migration, where aliens are not allowed to practice any foreign religion except the
nation-state's religious practices. Easternization of religion and spiritual practices is also
happening in some parts of the world, especially in western countries. The purpose of this is to
bring people into immaterialistic spirituality because the modern world today is now gradually
turning into materialism.
Global Religions mixed with local religion
Glocalization happens when there is a deterritorialization on religion may also results to
hybridization of religion. In the Philippines, especially in Filipino-Chinese community in Binondo,
Roman Catholics practices in that place are now inculturated by some Chinese spiritual
practices of Confucianism and Taoism.
Roudometof created the four model of glocalization and these are:
● Vernacularization - the blending of local language to a universal religion
This happens when a universal religion (like Christianity or Islam) adapts to a
local culture by using the local language in prayers, teachings, and religious texts.
Example: The Bible being translated into different languages.
● Indigenization – is an insertion of religious culture in an indigenous community
This is when religious beliefs and practices are blended with the traditions of an
indigenous group. Instead of replacing native customs, the religion adapts to fit local
traditions. Example: Indigenous tribes in the Philippines incorporating their rituals into
Catholic practices.
● Nationalization – connection and link between religious belief and practices to a nation
e.g. Philippine Independent Church, The Upper Catholics in China.
This is when a religion becomes closely connected to a nation's identity, either by
being created there or deeply influencing its culture. Example: The Philippine
Independent Church, which broke away from Roman Catholicism to reflect Filipino
nationalism.
● Transnationalization – a kind of religion that gives an identity to a nation once they cross
a boundary. The state where this religion originates will acknowledge immediately e.g.
Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Iglesia ni Cristo, Roman Catholic etc. (Brazalote, 2019)
This happens when a religion gives people a shared identity, even across countries. If
a person moves to another country, their religion still connects them to their homeland.
Example: Roman Catholicism is strongly linked to the Vatican, and Iglesia ni Cristo
recognizes its members globally as part of its religious nation.
Religion in Global Conflict
Religion activism and religion’s violence
A kind of racism may emerge because of differences in religious belief. Examples of this
are the nationalism in India that discriminates against converts Indians, the Jewish political
movement in Israel that discriminates Christians, and Muslim`s extremism movements and so
forth. Another thing here is when a conflict is religionalized or justified in religious terms the
results, become less controllable. (Juergensmeyer, 2014)
One of the example here is the conflict between Indian Muslims and Indian Hindus,
killing Indian Muslim was not hindered by the government because of Musliionalized biases in
local religion. According to Juerjensmaeyer, religious conflict is brought about by global
development and this development brings conflict because of secularism. Revolution against
failings of the state India, such as the Gandhian revolution in India 1974 led by Jayaprakash, was
brought about by the corruption in the Indian government. In revolt against the secular Shah of
Iran dated 1979, hundreds of people died, the separatism movement of 1970 movement in Sri
Lanka Musliists the gathering of Muslim in Egypt led to brutal assassination of President
Mohammad Anwar al Sadat in 1981 (Juergensmeyer, 2014)
