Conclusion

This chapter summarises the book and argues that we have considered three theories: Modernisation, Marxian theory and Hermeneutics in understanding and explaining the phenomenon of the religious upsurge in global politics as well as developing country politics. We have argued that the orthodox modernisation theory and Marxian theory have ended up in blind alleys from which it is difficult to go forward in comprehending and coming to terms with the contemporary phenomenon. However, the chapter argues that dialectical hermeneutics can show a glimmer of hope towards reaching mutual agreement over matters of cultural or religio-cultural difference. And that hermeneutics does not make many large claims about political reality. Whereas Marxian theory does. In order to understand the religious reality in terms of Marxian theory one needs to relate the religious upsurge to the political economy of the times. However, Habermas limits his discourse to viewing religion as unconnected to the political economy matters; while Habermas’s attempt to translate the sacred intuitions and truths of religion into secular enlightenment values and universalist egalitarian values of secular enlightenment into religion is quite relevant today, this may be inadequate from the point of view of ‘methodological atheism’ that Habermas claims to espouse.