FUNDAMENTALISM REVISITED : Fundamentalism as a Counter- Culture to Modernity and its Values

Abstract

One of the most prominent and haunting cultural phenomena
in our times is 'fundamentalism'. Its prominence, complexity
and negative impacts render fundamentalism worth revisiting.
Beyond its definitions, forms and enigmas, the existence of
fundamentalism compels us to reflect on some significant
aspects of our age. I assume that fundamentalism is not a
throwback to a tradition, but that it is in a dialectic relationship
with modernity. I stress, therefore, the points of convergence
between fundamentalism and modernity. The overlapping
paradigms of fundamentalism and modernity are explored
through a socio-cultural and philosophical approach. Through
an elaboration of the function of fundamentalism as a cultural
opposition, the paper concludes with a postmodernist
approach toward a new sensibility for 'difference and diversity'.