Episode Details

Religious fundamentalism is often dismissed as a relic of the past, yet it is deeply entwined with the modern world it claims to reject. Across Islam, Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism, movements have emerged that idealize a lost golden age and resist the pluralism, secularism, and moral ambiguity of globalized life. In this episode, we explore why these movements are frequently led by educated, westernized elites, how they use modern media and technology to wage war on liberal values, and why some retreat from society while others seek to seize the state itself. Rather than simple nostalgia or ignorance, the story frames fundamentalism as a deliberate, identity-driven revolt—one that turns the tools of modernity against modernity itself.

Ruthven, Malise, 'The scandal of difference', Fundamentalism: A Very Short Introduction, Very Short Introductions (Oxford, 2007; online edn, Oxford Academic, 24 Sept. 2013), https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780199212705.003.0002