Towards fundamentalism: globalization, moral order and the case of Iran

Abstract

Globalization is a multi-faceted phenomenon that causes the steady erosion of political, cultural and economic boundaries of nations by facilitating an increasingly uniform world system. Culturally, globalization expects to substitute traditional and allegedly parochial cultural practices with so called progressive values which just happen to coincide with western ones. However, cultural globalization is not a simple matter of replacing one culture with another. The glaring incompatibilities between tradition and modernity have resulted in the stiff rejection of a global order by fiercely traditional societies for whom compromising their identity is not an option, thus making global culture a far-fetched dream. Iran stands as a classic example of such resistance. Despite its initial endorsement of modern American values during the Pahlavi regime, the country prioritized the preservation of conservative values after the Islamic Revolution in 1979. With the aim of discovering the connection between globalization and religious fundamentalism, the paper explores cultural and religious underpinnings of Iran’s transformation that collectively manifested themselves as an anti-globalization movement that regarded globalization as corrupt and extravagant, qualities with which the existing monarchy was identified. The turn to Islam was thus necessitated to preserve pristine Iranian values which were viewed as the essential anti-thesis of globalization. Using secondary sources including books and web articles, the paper takes a historical approach to Iran’s case and concentrates on the growing antipathy of traditional societies towards globalization which makes them cling to their familiar value systems ever more staunchly. In conclusion it argues that Iran’s value system cannot be considered backward simply because it is incompatible with that of the West. It does not arrest development in an absolute sense but simply offends the prospect of a global model of development which, after all, is only the ultimate measure of development in the eyes of the West.