“Political Islam” in the Context of Globalization and Growing Clerical and Secular Fundamentalist Movements in the Beginning of the 21st Century

Abstract

Yuri Pochta's article gives a philosophical analysis of different types of fundamentalism, both religious and secular in their nature. Its focus is made on so-called "Islamic fundamentalism" the author explores in changing context of the post-modern era. Taking fundamentalism as something modern as such, the author argues that it often merges with modern conservatism. In the post-modern culture, which overcame tradition, fundamentalism can take extreme forms sometimes close to terrorism. On the other hand, while postmodernism is based on the principle of pluralism and tolerance, fundamentalism has to follow rules of the game and becomes an additional narrative, one more sub-culture and linguistic game. Post-modern fundamentalism, Pochta thinks, is doomed to discredit tradition, reviving it in the memory, but excluding it from the real life. Seeking for tradition in texts, not in real life, fundamentalism converts it into the text too. Its development is determined by translation and form, but not idea and contents. Criticizing modern era, fundamentalism is unable to produce anything except slogans, meetings and web-sites. Taking tradition as virtual it can not play as defender of the later against post-modernism. Both fundamentalism and post-modernism address to reduced social groups and lead their followers to irrational and local, not rational and universal.