Ultramodernity (Willaime 2006), following on from modernity, has been characterised as an era of fear, risk and uncertainty and paradoxically as a time of great hope and global interdependence (Baumann 2006; Beck 2006; Obama 2006). Following the events of September 11, 2001, the Bali and London bombings, a climate of fear has inspired a plethora of policies that have eroded civil liberties, jeopardising trust in state systems and thereby inadvertently elevating the risk of further violence, particularly in so-called Western societies. Conversely, ultramodern scholars, including Jürgen Habermass and Ulrich Beck, have advocated cosmopolitan solutions to more effectively and cooperatively counter global risks. These optimistic scenarios, while reaching populist proportions, have also received their fare share of criticism (Brassett 2008). Indeed, when we look toward the current state of the United Nations it is difficult not to lose hope. Where is the proof that Immanuel Kant’s cosmopolitan condition is coming into being in the global arena beyond these sociological theories? I argue that the rise of multifaith movements in ultramodernity provides this much needed evidence.
History
Event
Australian Sociological Association. Conference (2008 : Melbourne, Vic.)
Pagination
1 - 18
Publisher
Sociological Association of Australia (TASA)
Location
Melbourne, Vic.
Place of publication
Melbourne, Vic.
Start date
2008-12-02
End date
2008-12-05
ISBN-13
9780734039842
Language
eng
Notes
Reproduced with the kind permission of the copyright owner.
Publication classification
E1.1 Full written paper - refereed
Copyright notice
2008, The Author
Editor/Contributor(s)
T Majoribanks, J Barraket, J Chang, A Dawson, M Guillemin, M Henry-Waring, A Kenyon, R Kokanovic, J Lewis, D Lusher, D Nolan, P Pyett, R Robins, D Warr, J Wyn
Title of proceedings
Re-imagining sociology : the annual conference of the Australian Sociological Association 2008, 2-5 December 2008, The University of Melbourne