Anglo-American Religion and Hegemonic Change in the World System, c. 1870-1980

Abstract

It is here argued that one of the corollaries of national dominance in the world system is a florescence of 'establishment religiosity'. Such religiosity reflects the ideological concerns of a society's dominant social groups at an international as well as at a national level. When a nation is in the ascendant, these social groups will be relatively united, and establishment religiosity will serve as an ideological expression of well-being. When a nation is seen to be losing power and status, these groups will be increasingly subject to dissensus, and establishment religiosity will decline. These patterns are illustrated by the divergent developments in English and American religion since 1870. Whilst Britain's economic and political decline has been paralleled by a decline in the public religiosity of its dominant social groups, American international expansionism has been accompanied by a corresponding growth in its establishment religiosity, especially since 1945. If, as many analysts think likely, the USA has now entered a period of relative international decline, a decline in this religiosity may now be expected. The central argument of this paper is that one of the corollaries of dominance in the international system is some ideological expression of well-being which is widely shared amongst such social groups as benefit from that dominance. Traditionally, such an expression of well-being has included a significant religious component, such that periods of national dominance have also been periods of religious florescence for those churches which cater for the middle and upper classes. Correspondingly, one of the corollaries of loss of dominance is a decline in such socially established religiosity. For purposes of comparison, the UK and the USA, successively the dominant powers of the modern world, provide ideal case studies.