Globalization and changing individual patterns of behavior

Globalization is a social phenomenon with vast implications. One of these implications is the emergence of a new individual pattern of behavior, one which could affect the religions through the process of de-traditionlization. It is difficult to understand the experience of globalization without looking at the essence of this process and its implications, and what it has meant in our lives today. The main objective of this paper is

to discuss one of the fascinating aspects of what’s occurring in the process of globalization and its effects on one of characteristics of all religions, .i.e., collective rituals. The paper argues that the growth of individual patterns of behavior in the global era has overlooked collective feature of religions. Personal rituals bring us into contact with one of the most pervasive features of what it's like to live an everyday life in a contemporary society. Discussing Freud and Foucault arguments on obsession and compulsion, the paper will discuss these actions as the features of globalization are in contrast with collective pattern of behavior. Likewise, the paper will argue whether this sense of globalization, i.e., the ever-increasing personal pattern of behavior is a real problem confronting us whereby everyday life has become de-traditionalised. The paper will analysize that this change is a bleak side of the emancipatory of modernity as it is something we are all grappling with in our personal lives. It also finally tend to raise this question whether the rise of individual pattern of behavior, even in form of personal religious ritual, may blur the main factor distinguishing religion, which emphasize on collective ceremonial and rituals and magic.

This is an abstract of paper proposed for The International conference on
“Religion and Globalization", Tehran University, November 2005