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Social conservatism

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Not to be confused with Paternalistic conservatism.

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Social conservatism is a political philosophy and variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional power structures over social pluralism.[1][2] Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institutions, such as traditional family structures, gender roles, sexual relations, national patriotism, and religious traditions.[3][4] Social conservatism is usually skeptical of social change, instead favoring the status quo concerning social issues.[4]

Social conservatives also value the rights of religious institutions to participate in the public sphere, thus supporting government-religious endorsement and opposing state atheism, and in some cases opposing secularism.[5][6][7]

Social conservatism and other ideological views

There is overlap between social conservatism and paleoconservatism, in that they both support and value traditional social forms.[8][self-published source]

Social conservatism is not to be confused with economically interventionist conservatism, where conservative ideas are combined with Keynesian economics and a welfare state as practised by some European conservatives (e.g. one-nation conservatives in the United Kingdom, Gaullists in France). Some social conservatives support free trade and laissez faire market approaches to economic and fiscal issues, but social conservatives may also support economic intervention where the intervention serves moral or cultural aims. Historian Jon Wiener has described social conservatism as historically the result of an appeal from "elitist preservationists" to lower-class workers to 'protect' wealth from immigration.[1][9] Many social conservatives support a balance between protectionism and a free market. This concern for material welfare, like advocacy of traditional mores, will often have a basis in religion. Examples include the Christian Social Union of Bavaria, the Family First Party and Katter's Australian Party, and the communitarian movement in the United States.[10]

Social conservatism by country

Canada

Main article: Social conservatism in Canada

In Canada, social conservatism, though widespread, is not as prominent in the public sphere as in the United States. It is prevalent in all areas of the country but is seen as being more prominent in rural areas. It is also a significant influence on the ideological and political culture of the western provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia.[citation needed]

Compared to social conservatism in the United States, social conservatism has not been as influential in Canada. The main reason is that the neoconservative style of politics as promoted by leaders such as former Prime Ministers such as Paul Martin and Stephen Harper have focused on fiscal conservatism, with little or no emphasis on moral or social conservatism.[11] Without a specific, large political party behind them, social conservatives have divided their votes and can be found in all political parties.[12]

Social conservatives often felt that they were being sidelined by officials in the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada and its leadership of so-called "Red Tories" for the last half of the twentieth century and therefore many eventually made their political home with parties such as the Social Credit Party of Canada and the Reform Party of Canada. Despite the Reform Party being dominated by social conservatives, leader Preston Manning, seeking greater national support for the party, was reluctant for the party to wholly embrace socially conservative values. This led to his deposition as leader of the party (now called Canadian Alliance) in favor of social conservative Stockwell Day.[13] The party's successor, the Conservative Party of Canada, despite having a number of socially conservative members and cabinet ministers, has chosen so far not to focus on socially conservative issues in its platform. This was most recently exemplified on two occasions in 2012 when the current Conservative Party of Canada declared they had no intention to repeal same-sex marriage or abortion laws.[14]

Islamic world

Further information: Sharia and Conservatism in Islam

Most Muslim countries are somewhat more socially conservative (such as Tajikistan and Malaysia) than neighbouring countries that are not Muslim. However, due to their interpretation of Islamic law also known as Shariah, they have some differences from social conservatism as understood in the nations of West Europe, North America and Oceania.

Arab world

Further information: Arab world, Islam, and Censorship

The Arab world has recently[when?] been more conservative in social and moral issues due to the Arab spring.[citation needed]

India

Hindu social conservatism

Further information: Shiv Sena, Bharatiya Janata Party, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Hindu nationalism, and Hindutva

Hindu social conservatism in India in the twenty first century has developed into an influential movement. Represented in the political arena by the right-leaning Bharatiya Janata Party. Hindu social conservatism, also known as the Hindutva movement, is spearheaded by the voluntary non-governmental organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The core philosophy of this ideology is nativism and sees Hinduism as a national identity rather than a religious one. Due to an inclination towards nativism, much of its platform is based on the belief that Islamic and Christian denominations in India are the result of occupations, and therefore these groups should be uprooted from the Indian subcontinent by converting their members back to Hinduism.

In terms of political positions, Hindu social conservatives in India seek to institutionalise a Uniform Civil Code (which is also a directive under Article 44 of the Constitution of India) for members of all religions,[15] over the current scheme of different personal laws for different religions. For instance, polygamy is legal for Muslims in India but not Hindus.

Muslim social conservatism

Further information: Lakshar-e-Taiba

There are several socially conservative Muslim organisations in India, ranging from groups such as the Indian Union Muslim League which aim to promote the preservation of Indian Muslim culture as a part of the nation's identity and history.[citation needed]

South Africa

Social conservatism had an important place in Apartheid South Africa ruled by the National Party. Pornography,[16] gambling[17] and other activities that were deemed undesirable were severely restricted. The majority of businesses were forbidden from doing business on Sunday.[18]

United States

Main article: Social conservatism in the United States

Social conservatism in the United States is a right-wing political ideology that opposes social progressivism. It historically engaged with the economic insecurity of lower-class Protestant Americans, McCarthyism and challenges to social institutions. It is centered on the preservation of what adherents often call 'traditional' or 'family values', though the accepted aims of the movement often vary amongst the organisations it comprises, making it hard to generalise about ideological preferences. There are, however, a number of general principles to which at least a majority of social conservatives adhere, such as opposition to abortion and opposition to same-sex marriage.[1][19][20][21] Sociologist Harry F. Dahms suggests that Christian doctrinal conservatives (anti-abortion, anti-same-sex marriage) and gun-use conservatives (such as supporters and members of the NRA) form two domains of ideology within American social conservatism.[22]

The Republican Party is the largest United States political party with socially conservative ideals incorporated into its platform. Other socially conservative parties include the American Solidarity Party, the Constitution Party and the Prohibition Party.

Social conservatives are strongest in the South, where they are a mainstream political force with aspirations to translate those ideals using the party platform nationally. Supporters of social conservatism played a major role in the political coalitions of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.[23]

Other areas

There are also social conservative movements in many other parts of the world, such as Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Central Europe, Mediterranean countries, Southeast Asia, and Oceania.

List of social conservative political parties

Armenia

Australia

Austria

Belgium

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Brazil

Current

Defunct

Bulgaria

Czech Republic

Denmark

El Salvador

Estonia

Faroe Islands

Finland

France

Germany

Georgia

Greece

Hungary

India

Indonesia

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Japan

Latvia

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malaysia

Mexico

Moldova

Netherlands

New Zealand

Nigeria

North Macedonia

Norway

Pakistan

- Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Coalition:

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Russia

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Serbia

South Africa

South Korea

Sweden

Switzerland

Turkey

Ukraine

United Kingdom

Scotland Only

  • Scottish Family Party

Northern Ireland only

United States

Social conservative factions of political parties

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Wiener, Jonathan (Spring 1973). "Review: The Politics of Unreason: Right-Wing Extremism in America, 1790-1970". The Journal of Interdisciplinary History. 3 (4). MIT Press: 791–793. doi:10.2307/202704. JSTOR 202704 – via JSTOR.
  2. ^ Cooper, Melinda (2019). Family Values: Between Neoliberalism and the New Social Conservatism. Zone Books.
  3. ^ Smith, Robert B. (2014). Harry F. Dahms (ed.). Social Conservatism, Distractors, and Authoritarianism: Axiological versus instrumental rationality. Emerald Group Publishing. p. 101. ISBN 9781784412227. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  4. ^ a b "Social Conservatism". Populism Studies. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  5. ^ Dean, John W. (11 July 2006). Conservatives Without Conscience. Penguin Publishing Group. p. 77. ISBN 9781101201374.
  6. ^ Wald, Kenneth D.; Calhoun-Brown, Allison (2007). Religion and Politics in the United States. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 240. ISBN 9780742540415.
  7. ^ Booten, Matthew (11 May 2020). "19 different types of conservatives". Politic-Ed. Social conservatism often opposes state-atheism, however not atheism itself. They believe that if we allow states to stop believing in God, that societal order will simply break down as a result.
  8. ^ Rowland, Howard S. (2010). Things to Think About. Xlibris Corporation. p. 171. ISBN 9781453571286.[self-published source]
  9. ^ West, Ed (2020). Small Men on the Wrong Side of History: The Decline, Fall and Unlikely Return of Conservatism.
  10. ^ Robin, Corey. The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Donald Trump. Oxford University Press.
  11. ^ John Middlemist Herrick and Paul H. Stuart, eds. Encyclopedia of social welfare history in North America (2005) p. 143
  12. ^ David M. Haskell, Through a lens darkly: how the news media perceive and portray evangelicals (2009) p 57
  13. ^ Murray Dobbin, Preston Manning and the Reform Party (1991)
  14. ^ "Same-sex marriages declared legal and valid by federal justice minister Rob Nicholson". National Post. 13 January 2012.
  15. ^ Press Trust of India (2 August 2003). "Muslim leaders oppose uniform civil code". Express India. Archived from the original on 25 September 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  16. ^ JCW Van Rooyen, Censorship in South Africa (Cape Town: Juta and Co., 1987),
  17. ^ Bet and board in the new South Africa. (legalisation of gambling could lead to growth of casinos, lotteries)(Brief Article)The Economist (US) | 5 August 1995
  18. ^ Apartheid mythology and symbolism. desegregated and re-invented in the service of nation building in the new South Africa: the covenant and the battle of Blood/Ncome River
  19. ^ Riley, Jim. "Liberalism & Conservatism". academic.regis.edu. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  20. ^ Farney, James Harold (2012). Social Conservatives and Party Politics in Canada and the United States. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 9781442612600.
  21. ^ Cramer, Clayton E. (2016). Social Conservatism in An Age of Revolution: Legislating Christian Morality in Revolutionary America.
  22. ^ Smith, Robert B. (2014). Harry F. Dahms (ed.). Social Conservatism, Distractors, and Authoritarianism: Axiological versus instrumental rationality. Emerald Group Publishing. p. 101. ISBN 9781784412227. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  23. ^ Darren Dochuk, From Bible Belt to Sun Belt: Plain-Folk Religion, Grassroots Politics, and the Rise of Evangelical Conservatism (W.W. Norton & Company; 2010) shows how migrants to Southern California from Oklahoma, Texas, and Arkansas provided evangelical support for social conservatism.
  24. ^ Il programma del Popolo della Famiglia di Mario Adinolfi Archived 18 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine (intelligonews)
  25. ^ Programma (Italia Cristiana)
  26. ^ Parties and Elections in Europe. Parties-and-elections.eu. Retrieved on 24 August 2013.
  27. ^ Piero Ignazi (2008). Partiti politici in Italia. Il Mulino, Bologna. p. 58.
  28. ^ Inada, Miho; Dvorak, Phred. "Same-Sex Marriage in Japan: A Long Way Away?" Archived 16 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine. The Wall Street Journal. 20 September 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  29. ^ Lockhart, Charles (2010). Protecting the Elderly: How Culture Shapes Social Policy. Penn State Press. p. 84. ISBN 978-0-271-02289-5. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  30. ^ Magara, Hideko; Sacchi, Stefano, eds. (2013). The Politics of Structural Reforms: Social and Industrial Policy Change in Italy and Japan. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-85793-292-1. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  31. ^ Pekkanen, Robert J.; Scheiner, Ethan; Reed, Steven R., eds. (2016). Japan decides 2014: the Japanese general election. Springer. pp. 104, 106. doi:10.1057/9781137552006. ISBN 978-1-349-56437-8. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  32. ^ Lucien Ellington, ed. (2009). Japan. ABC-CLIO. p. 168. ISBN 9781598841626. ... Because of this political strength, the Liberal Democratic Party has in recent years included the moderate to socially conservative Komeito Party in coalition governments.
  33. ^ Philippines. Facts On File. 1999. p. 887. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  34. ^ Perron, Louis (2009). Election Campaigns in the Philippines. Routledge. p. 361. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  35. ^ "The politics of homophobia in South Korea". East Asia Forum. 4 July 2016.
  36. ^ "the Democrats engulfed in 'LGBT aversion'". Seoul Shinmun (in Korean). 19 March 2020.
  37. ^ "Gay Marriage Bill In Northern Ireland Blocked Again By Socially Conservative Democratic Unionist Party". Huffingtonpost.co.uk. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 9 January 2019.

Bibliography

  • Heywood, Andrew (2017). Political Ideologies: An Introduction. Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-137-60604-4.

Further reading

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