9699 · 12.3
Religion and post-modernity flashcards
Revision flashcards for Cambridge 9699 Religion and post-modernity (syllabus 12.3). Flip, recall, then mark a real past-paper question.
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Spiritual shopping?
Individuals pick beliefs/practices from multiple traditions like consumers.
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Heelas & Woodhead - Kendal Project?
Holistic milieu growing; traditional congregations declining locally.
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New Age features?
Self-spirituality, holism, mind-body-spirit, rejection of organised religion.
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Hervieu-Léger - chain of memory?
Religion needs transmitted tradition - weakened in postmodernity.
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Davie - vicarious religion?
Small active core performs religion on behalf of nominal believers.
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Postmodern religion?
Personal, diverse, de-institutionalised - fits individualisation (Beck).
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Metanarrative
A term associated with postmodernist Jean-François Lyotard, referring to a 'grand story' or all-encompassing theory (e.g., religion, science, Marxism) that claims to offer a total explanation of the world. Postmodernity is characterised by a loss of faith in such narratives.
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Spiritual Shopping
A concept from Danièle Hervieu-Léger describing how individuals in postmodern society pick and choose elements of different beliefs, religions, and spiritualities to construct a personalised identity. Individuals act as spiritual consumers in a religious marketplace.
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The New Age Movement (NAMs)
A broad term for a wide range of beliefs and practices that have grown since the 1970s. Key features include a focus on self-spirituality, eclecticism (drawing from various traditions), and detraditionalisation. It is often seen as a prime example of postmodern religion.
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Detraditionalisation
The process whereby traditions, including religious ones, lose their authority and influence over individuals. In a postmodern context, individuals no longer feel obliged to follow the religion of their parents or community, freeing them to choose their own beliefs.
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Religious Pluralism
A situation in which multiple religions and belief systems coexist within a single society. Postmodernists argue that globalisation and media have intensified this, creating a 'plurality of life worlds' where no single religion can claim a monopoly on truth.