On Secularization, Modernity and Islamic Revival in the Post-Soviet Context

• Authors: Dobrosława Wiktor-Mach
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The paper reveals contemporary developments in post-Soviet Islam that challenge the predominant juxtaposition of Islam against secularization and modernization. I argue that the question Gellner has posed: why is Islam so secularization-resistant, is based on inappropriate assumptions. As the anthropological data from field research among Muslims in post-Soviet regions show, there are trends and processes in contemporary Islam that do not fit into “Islam as a secularization-opposed force” thesis. When the problem is approached from a perspective of diversity inside a religious field (Bourdieu) and competing “discursive traditions” then it’s possible to identify religious groups that have positive attitudes towards secular institutions and modern solutions. Next, problems with Gellner’s vision of contemporary Islam are discussed, particularly concerning the shift in power relations between “folk” and “pure” (or “fundamentalist”) Islam. Finally, I argue that overcoming the notion of one homogeneous modernity enables us to understand the modernizing forces in Islam.

Keywords

EN

religion; Gellner; Islam; secularization; modernity; reformism; Caucasus and Central Asia

• Publisher: Polskie Towarzystwo Socjologiczne
• Journal: Polish Sociological Review
• Year: 2011
• Volume: 175
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 393-410

Dates

published

2011-09-27

Contributors

author

Dobrosława Wiktor-Mach

• Jagiellonian University