Globalization and Religion: Interactions and Divergences

Globalization has created great discontinuities. Its passion for profit is making people more acquisitive in terms of status, power and the yearning for consumer goods. There is a sense of disorientation and helplessness that is reflected in the increasing distorted religiosity among people. This book offers a fresh look at the phenomenon of globalization and religion. The various chapters in this book offer an overwhelming influence of globalizationon cultural dimensions of life, religion, identities, environment, and education and on marginalized communities. While the economic and political impact of globalization has been studied substantially, the unique contribution of this book is the focus on the cultural impact of globalization. The book also studies the aggressive economic policies and growth strategies which push people to turn to religion as a scapegoat which leads to the resurgence of religion in the globalized world of today. The book asks certain pertinent questions like whether such religiosity has resulted in lesser corruption, more ethical way of living and deeper humanization process. These reflections in the book will help the readers to respond proactively to the emerging crisis of today. This book will be an insightful reading for sociologists, anthropologists, missionaries and social workers for their efforts towards building a more humane society today.