The Search for Fundamentals : The Process of Modernisation and the Quest for Meaning

Modernity dissolves absolute certainties; late modernity dissolves them absolutely. In the modern world system there appears to be no firm, unchallenged ground on which to construct a meaningful canopy. But around the world, many individuals and groups long for a kind of cultural coherence that they believe once existed. They search for fundamentals. While these may be sought in religious traditions, many also aspire to new secular certainties. In their various new forms and contexts the contemporary quests for meaning in turn transform the societies in which they occur. The rich comparative examples in __The____Search for Fundamentals__ are used to analyze the sources and consequences of several cultural movements. The book also offers theoretical reflections on the difficulties they experience and on the message they carry for students of modernity. __Audience:__ A broad readership of scholars and advanced students in the social sciences and humanities. Front Matter....Pages 1-8 Front Matter....Pages 9-13 Theories of Modernisation and the Search for Fundamentals....Pages 15-22 Front Matter....Pages 23-26 The Search for Fundamentals and Islamic Fundamentalism....Pages 27-39 Modernisation and Islamic Fundamentalism: The Muslim Brotherhood and its Ramifications....Pages 41-62 Survival Strategies of Conservative Protestants in Dutch Society The World as Threat and Challenge....Pages 63-81 World Views in Support of Traditional Christian Religion....Pages 83-93 Fundamentalism: Origins and Influence....Pages 95-109 Front Matter....Pages 111-115 Fundamentals and Civil Religiosity....Pages 117-130 Equality and Diversity Radical Feminism and the Quest for Fundamentals....Pages 131-141 The New Age: Values and Modern Times....Pages 143-170 Front Matter....Pages 171-174 The Caribbean Counter-plantation Rural Formation Heritage and the Contemporary Search for Fundamentals....Pages 175-185 Preventing or Criticising the Process of Modernisation? The Case of Brasil....Pages 187-195 Front Matter....Pages 197-200 Modernisation, Human Rights and the Search for Fundamentals....Pages 199-216 Postmodernism and the Quest for Meaning....Pages 217-235 Front Matter....Pages 237-237 The Search for Fundamentals in Global Perspective....Pages 239-262 Modernisation Theories Revisited Conclusions....Pages 263-271 Back Matter....Pages 273-293

Modernity dissolves absolute certainties; late modernity dissolves them absolutely. In the modern world system there appears to be no firm, unchallenged ground on which to construct a meaningful canopy. But around the world, many individuals and groups long for a kind of cultural coherence that they believe once existed. They search for fundamentals. While these may be sought in religious traditions, many also aspire to new secular certainties. In their various new forms and contexts the contemporary quests for meaning in turn transform the societies in which they occur. The rich comparative examples in The Search for Fundamentals are used to analyze the sources and consequences of several cultural movements. The book also offers theoretical reflections on the difficulties they experience and on the message they carry for students of modernity.
Audience: A broad readership of scholars and advanced students in the social sciences and humanities.