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Modernization and Secularization

Secularization refers to the process by which religion loses social and cultural influence as the role of religion becomes more restricted in modern societies. In secularized societies, faith lacks cultural authority and religious organizations have little social power. Secularization emerged in India out of the need for an idea of secularism that could work in a highly religious society and not antagonize any religions, so as to encourage participation in the independence struggle. Indian secularism emphasizes substantive equality among religions rather than just procedural equality. It empowers the government to give special privileges to historically weak religious communities as minorities. Secularization in India has been influenced by modernization, social reforms, legislation, education and urbanization.

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313 views14 pages

Modernization and Secularization

Secularization refers to the process by which religion loses social and cultural influence as the role of religion becomes more restricted in modern societies. In secularized societies, faith lacks cultural authority and religious organizations have little social power. Secularization emerged in India out of the need for an idea of secularism that could work in a highly religious society and not antagonize any religions, so as to encourage participation in the independence struggle. Indian secularism emphasizes substantive equality among religions rather than just procedural equality. It empowers the government to give special privileges to historically weak religious communities as minorities. Secularization in India has been influenced by modernization, social reforms, legislation, education and urbanization.

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SECULARIZATION

■ It refers to the historical process in which religion loses, social and


cultural significance, as of a secularization the role of religious in
modern societies became restricted . in secularized society faith lacks
cultural authority and religious organizations have little social power.
■ IN CONTEXT OF SOCIOLOGY…
Growth of modernization and modern civilization has affected
religion adversely . development in the field of science and
technology and education has also adversely affected religion
.secularism is a system of social and political philosophy that reject
all forms of religious faith.
It emerged out of the need of Indian
independence struggle. Gandhi needed
an idea of secularism that work in highly
religious society like ours and at the
same time, it should not antagonize any
religion (so that all religious community
participate in Independence struggle),
hence Indian Secularism is equality
among all religions.
NOTIONS OF EQUALITY
PROCEDURAL SUBSTANTIVE

Here the background inequality is


not considered. For example: We Here, not only I make sure the
make a procedure that he who winner is the one who runs
covers 100m fastest would win fastest 100m but also, I will
the race. But a poor is running
provide the poor with bare
barefoot and the rich in world-
class sports shoes, here my minimum quality of shoes so
procedure of winning the race that he stands a chance against
treat everyone equally but does the rich, now this is equality in
the poor has the same chance of broad sense.
winning as the rich?

■ Same applies to religion. Indian Secularism is Equality(Substantive)


among various religion. Hence government is empowered and obliged to
give special privilege to religious community which has been historically
and socially weak. Hence the privileges to the minority.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
‘SECULARISM’ AND ‘SECULARISATION’

Secularism Secularisation
A position that The transformation of a
religious belief should society from close
not influence public identification with
and governmental religious values and
decisions. The related institutions toward non-
political belief in the religious
separation of church (or"irreligious") values
and state. and secular institutions.
FEATURES OF SECULARIZATION

■ Secularization process
weakened the feelings of
religiosity
■ Rationalization and
Reasonableness
■ Differentiation
■ Development of Scientific
temper and outlook
■ Freedom of your own
religion
■ Reasonable
accommodation
SECULARIZATION IN
INDIA:
■ British rule brought with it a
process of secularization of Indian
social life and culture, a tendency
that gradually became stringer
with the development of
communication, growth of towns
and cities, increased spatial
mobility, and the spread of
education. The two world wars,
and mahatma Gandhi’s civil
disobedience campaigns, both of
which socially and polictically
mobilized the masses , also
contributed to increased
secularization. And with
independence there began a
deepening as well as broadening
of the secularization process as
witnessed in such measures as
the declaration of india as a
secular state, the constitutional
recognition of the equality of all
citizens before the law, the
CAUSES OF SECULARIZATION:

■ Modern Education
■ Social and Religious
Reform Movements
■ Urbanization
■ Legislation
■ The Indian
Constitution
■ Western culture
Comparison with Western secularism

■ In the West, the word secular implies three things: freedom


of religion, equal citizenship to each citizen regardless of his
or her religion, and the separation of religion and state
■ In contrast, in India, the word secular does not imply
separation of religion and state. It means equal treatment of
all religions.Religion in India continues to assert its political
authority in matters of personal law. The applicable personal
law differ if an individual’s religion is Christianity, or Hindu
■ The term secularism in India also differs from the French
concept for secularity, namely laïcité. While the French
concept demands absence of governmental institutions in
religion, as well as absence of religion in governmental
institutions and schools; the Indian concept, in contrast,
provides financial support to religious schools and accepts
religious law over governmental institutions.
SECULARISM AS THE PHILOSOPHY OF
THE CONSTITUTION:
■The term ‘secular’ was not initially mentioned in
original constitution, but the Indian constitution
has always been secular. As, we have already
discussed how Indian secularism differs from
western concept. So, in India, it is not mutual
exclusion, rather it is principled distance, a
complex idea that allows state to be distant from
all religions so that it can intervene or abstain
from interference, depending upon which of these
two would better promote Liberty, equality and
social justice.
■Fundamental rights (Article 12 to 35) guarantees
and promotes secularism. Right to equality, right
to freedom, right against exploitation, right to
freedom of religion, cultural and educational
rights, and right to constitutional remedies are
such six fundamental rights.

■Secular attitude or attitude of impartiality towards


all religion is secured by the constitution under
several provisions. (Article 25 to 28).
EFFECT OF SECULARIZATION IN INDIA:

■ Prof. Srinivas visualizes the concept of secularization in


explaining social change in modern India. .He has tried
to explain this process in the following manner:
■ (i) Decline in the concept of purity and pollution.
■ (ii) Decline in the rituals of life cycles.
■ Some of the changes are observed due to
secularization:
■ 1. Declining attitude towards religious rites and rituals.
■ 2. Different sub systems like legal, political, economic
etc. have been differentiated from each other.
■ 3. There is growing tendency towards rationality.
■ 4. The important agents like law, politics, education etc.
are gradually becoming secular in their structure and
function.
PROBLEMS OF SECULARISM
IN INDIA:

■ 1. Problem of Uniform
Civil Code
■ 2. Politics and Religion
■ 3. Minority Group
Perceptions
■ 4.The Defective
Educational System
■ 5. The Distortion of
the Constitutional and
Democratic Institutions:
CONCLUSION
■ If we look into the process of modernization and secularization
together no doubt they are closely linked as both are part of a set
of modern ideas. Moderniszation refers to the process of evolution
from the traditional into modern society. Secularization marks a
process in which the religious beliefs practices institutions have
lost their former social importance. The traditional beliefs are
subjected to rational questioning. The monopoly of religious
symbols is broken with the plularization of the life spheres and
people have established more control of the environment with the
rise of industrialization. As a result, of modernization, there
occurs a partition from religious thoughts and practices and even
from the metaphysical conceptions in all realms of human life.
■ If we talk in Indian context, for both the processes of
modernization and secularization there are various problems
which acts as hindrances in these processes. But still both the
processes have brought significant changes in the Indian society
but still there is lot more to be done.
THANK
YOU…

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