Why might the stages of history be encapsulated by these words? Pre modern Starter God Modern Why might the stages of history be encapsulated by these words? Man Postmodern Earth

Pre-modern /Feudalism Monopoly of the truth Singular understanding of the world Hierarchical structure

Modernity Rationalization – the enlightenment Differentiation

What is postmodernism?

A perspective that refers to a particular time period (epoch) Pre-modern/Feudalism Modernity Late modernity Postmodernity

Write down as many features as you can think of. Late or postmodernism Write down as many features as you can think of.

Late modernity – Anthony Giddens

Late modernity - Giddens Reflexivity – uncertainty – constant monitoring of social life to try and improve it. A tendency to undermine the traditional Sociology is part of this reflexivity How does this apply to religion?

REFLEXIVITY IN UK SOCIETY

REFLEXIVITY IN UK SOCIETY

“Most of the situations of modern social life are manifestly incompatible with religion as a pervasive influence upon day to day life. Religious cosmology is supplanted by reflexively organised knowledge, governed by empirical observation and logical thought, and focused upon material technology and socially applied codes. Religion and tradition were always closely linked, and the latter it even more thoroughly undermined than the former by the reflexivity of modern social life that stands in direct opposition to it.” ANTHONY GIDDENS

Late modernity - Giddens Separation of time and place – new and digital media means that we are communicating with people across the world and not face to face

Separation of time and place WHAT EFFECT MIGHT THIS HAVE ON RELIGION?

Separation of time and place

Late modernity - Giddens Disembedding – people are affected by things that happen a long way away

WHAT EFFECT MIGHT THIS HAVE ON RELIGION? Disembedding – people are affected by things that happen a long way away WHAT EFFECT MIGHT THIS HAVE ON RELIGION?

Late modernity - Giddens Despite the apparent incompatibility with religion, Giddens argues that the resurgence of religion in some places is understandable.

Individual freedom and choice The reflexivity of science DISCUSS: Why might the following aspects of late modernity help religion to grow or at least survive in a late modern world? Uncertainty Individual freedom and choice The reflexivity of science

Responses to the late modern world

Late modernity - Giddens Fundamentalism has arisen in the last 40 years in response to late modernity and Giddens thinks that this is dangerous because it a late modern world there is much more ethnic diversity, so people need to be more tolerant of each other not less.

RECAP List the key features of a late modern society according to Giddens

Danielle Hervieu-Leger

Cultural amnesia – change in socialization

Religion is not such a source of collective identity like before

Individual consumerism has replaced traditional institutional religion – we are SPIRITUAL SHOPPERS

Personal choice

Pilgrims and converts

Believing without belonging

Stark and Bainbridge – religious market theory

Religion is a market place, when one religion declines it leaves a gap for another to fill it

Churches are like companies striving to improve their service and attract more customers

Cycle of religious decline, revival and renewal

Religion as compensation – religion meets our needs and also provides rewards

Competition to attract members in new ways

Grace Davie – Believing without belonging Argues against the secularisation thesis Religion has become privatised Vicarious religion is taking place Canadian survey (1993) 25% attended regularly but 80% said they had religious beliefs. BUT data suggests otherwise and Bruce makes point that if they are not acting on their beliefs, how strong are their beliefs?

PLENARY How do late/postmodernist views agree or refute Marxism, functionalism?

BRING IN COLOURS FOR THE MAHUSIVE MIND MAP EACH OF YOU WILL MAKE. NEXT LESSON BRING IN COLOURS FOR THE MAHUSIVE MIND MAP EACH OF YOU WILL MAKE.

POSTMODERNISM TODAY Carousel – answer the questions Consider what Marxists and feminists might think of postmodernism

Zygmunt Bauman (1992)– Postmodernism Similar to Giddens and Hervieu-Leger: Postmodern world has arisen from modernity Reflexivity has increased Religious revival has arisen out of individual problems and need for meaning

Zygmunt Bauman (1992)– Po-mo Deconstructs claims for universal truth People no longer accept authority Freedom to be a ‘shopper’, to pursue anything Uncertainty is something to be embraced Individuals have no external rules to live their lives Personal ethics and morality are the most important not external ones

BAUMAN QUESTIONS What does Bauman mean by ‘reflexivity’? Give one example of how an individual might ‘shop’ for religion Why are post modern individuals more likely to challenge authority?

James Beckford (1996) Bauman is contradictory – why? Beckford disagrees with the idea that there has been a religious revival because he does not think there was a preceding massive decline.

David Lyon – Jesus in Disneyland (2000)

David Lyon – Jesus in Disneyland (2000) Quite like Giddens and Bauman but: Unlike Bauman he does not think po-mo has supplanted modernity Unlike Giddens he thinks that societies have moved beyond late modernity

“confessional consumers”

David Lyon – Jesus in Disneyland (2000) New digital media – globalisation – choice of religions, spirituality etc…identities are less based on local communities Growing consumerism – people are free to choose on their own what to do with their time, their homes, their bodies and their gods…

“bricolage of beliefs”

David Lyon – Jesus in Disneyland (2000) Religion is not necessarily declining – it has relocated to the sphere of consumption People are less willing to accept the authority of the church but still seek meaning Peoples identities are more fluid and open to personal choice People still need narratives for their lives but are looking at other besides traditional ones

David Lyon – Jesus in Disneyland (2000) THE EVIDENCE! Canada: 75% don’t attend religious ceremonies regularly but 80% still draw upon religious beliefs and practices Shift from religious institutions to a “cultural resource”

David Lyon – Jesus in Disneyland (2000) – WHY IS MY BOOK CALLED THIS? Harvest Day Crusade in California Several stages with Christian singers and for Lyon this was an example of religion interacting with the most postmodern of settings, Disneyland. Disneyland is seen as a very postmodern place because it is a fantasy world but many of the signs are treated as if they are – autographs from Mickey Mouse for example. Religion is no longer confined to traditional places, it is adapting

David Lyon – Jesus in Disneyland (2000) De-differentiation The lines in society are becoming blurred. Religion and popular culture.

LYON QUESTIONS What does Lyon mean by ‘bricolage of beliefs’? Why did Lyon title his book, ‘Jesus in Disneyland’? Does he argue that religion has declined?

Paul Heelas – Postmodernity and new age movements There are many ways new age movements can be considered postmodern: Dedifferentiation – difference is not acknowledged Relativism – NAMs don’t claim that there is one set of ideas that reveal the whole truth Consumers of different NAMs Experience is emphasised over achievement

Paul Heelas – Postmodernity and new age movements But Heelas says they are not postmodern: -the New Age has a very strong metanarrative at its heart. Although it rejects cultural metanarratives it has replaced them with experiential metanarratives. - The New Age is part of modernity – importance of individualism

HEELAS QUESTIONS Why might some sociologists consider NAMs postmodern? Why does Heelas claim that NAMs are not postmodern What study does Heelas base his assertions about NAMs?

PLENARY How do late/postmodernist views agree or refute Marxism, functionalism?