Local Religions in the Current of Globalization: A Historical Study of Changes in Religious Identity
Keywords:
Globalization, Local Religions, Religious Identity, Social ChangeAbstract
Contemporary globalization has significant implications for the sustainability of local religions, particularly in reshaping the religious identity of their communities. This article aims to analyze the influence of globalization on changes in religious practices of local religions and the process of religious identity reconstruction within modern social and political contexts. This study employs a qualitative approach using a literature review method, supported by perspectives from the sociology of religion and identity studies. The findings indicate that globalization encourages a shift in local religious practices from closed, communal traditions toward more reflective, open, and adaptive forms of religiosity. In addition, the role of the state and the historical marginalization of local religions significantly influence the transformation of religious identity through regulatory frameworks, religious classification, and mechanisms of formal recognition. In response to these dynamics, local religions are not passive actors; instead, they actively reconstruct their religious identities as a strategy for sustainability. This reconstruction is reflected in the adaptation of symbols, narratives, and modes of representation without fully abandoning core ancestral values. Therefore, changes in the religious identity of local religions should not be understood as a decline of tradition, but rather as an adaptive process that enables local religions to remain relevant and meaningful in the context of globalization.
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