MODERNIZATION, SOCIAL CHANGE AND RELIGION: A CASE STUDY OF THE ISLAMIC UMMAH

Abstract

In this paper I explore the impact of modernization and social change on the Islamic ummah (community of believers) and how they are shaping the emerging struggle between ‘hybridity’ and ‘authenticity’ among Muslims and Islamic movements. The paper will explore the challenges of this struggle and its sociological implications for the ‘de-centering’ of the Muslim world into multiple autonomous regions. The future of Muslim ummah may gain strength not as a unified and unitary community, but as a differentiated community consisting of ummahs representing different Islamic regions, each regional ummah possessing and embodying a unique character moulded by the history and temperament of its people. The paper concludes with observations on the future religious, intellectual, economic and political trajectories of Muslim countries.