Globalisation, Modernity and Postmodernity Flashcards
(20 cards)
1
Q
What are modernist theories?
A
- Modernist theories aim to explain how modern society works and suggest how it should progress
- They are apart of the Enlightenment project, which is the idea that through reason and science, we can discover true knowledge and progress to a better society
2
Q
What is a modern society and its characteristics?
A
- It first emerged in western Europe around the 18th century and it has 4 key characteristics
- The nation state, meaning it is a key political unit in modern society, and its population shares a common language and culture and also organises social life nationally through laws and education
- Capitalism, its economic system is based on private ownership and the use of wage labourers which led to high production and wealth but also class conflict
- Rationality, Science and Technology, scientific and rational ways of thinking have replaced religious and magical explanations
- Individualism, tradition and ascribed status have lost their importance
3
Q
What is Globalisation?
A
- Is the growing interconnection between people and societies across national boundaries
4
Q
What are the 4 reasons for globalisation occurring ?
A
- Technological changes, we now have fast communication and can cross entire continents in a matter of hours, technology also creates new risk for example green house gases produced in one place can lead to rise in sea level, Beck argues we live in a risk society
- Economic changes, Global economy is highly interconnected, there has been a shift towards a weightless or electronic economy. TNCs ( transnational companies) such as coca cola and nike, operate across national borders and are major drivers of globalisation
- Political changes, the fall of communism and the growth of transnational bodies have created opportunities for global capitalism
- Changes in culture and identity, westernised global culture makes it harder for cultures to exist in isolation. Globalisation undermines traditional sources of identity
5
Q
What questions has rapid changes linked to globalisation created?
A
- What kind of society do we live in, modern, new or postmodern?
- What kind of theory can explain todays society ?
- Is the Enlightenment project still relevant or is society still to chaotic ?
- Postmodern, Modern and Marxist theories of post modern help to address these questions
6
Q
What is postmodernism and its argument ?
A
- PM is a major intellectual movement since the 1970s
- and they argue that we now live in a new era, a fragmented, media driven, global society where image and reality blur
- And they believe modernist theories are no longer valid
7
Q
Using Foucaults ideas what do PM further argue?
A
- Using his idea PM argue that there are no objective criterias to prove whether a theory is true, this view is known as anti foundationalism and it has 2 consequences
- The Enlightenment project use of achieving progress through truthful, scientific knowledge is dead, if we cannot guarantee our knowledge is correct we cannot use it to improve society
- Another consequence is any theory such as marxism are just narratives or big stories as they are only someone’s versions of reality not the truth
8
Q
What is a relativist position and who takes it?
A
- PM take this position, and it means that they argue that all views are true for those who hold them and it means that they claim that no one has special access to the truth including sociologists
9
Q
What does Baudrillard argue?
A
- Believes that in todays society we do not focus on real things anymore
- Instead we focus on images and signs that look real but actually are not
- These fake versions are called simulacra
- Examples of this is a news article about a soap opera character is not real news, but it is treated like it matters
- We now live in a world where fake images and media feel more real than actual reality , this is called a hyper reality
- TV and Social media are big reasons for this because they constantly show fake, exaggerated and scripted versions of life
- As a result we can not tell what is real or not
10
Q
How has culture and identity become fragmented and unstable in PM society ?
A
- Media plays a huge role in this because it constantly shows new images and ideas and this leads to people being exposed to many competing versions of the truth
- And as a result people no longer share a common set of values and beliefs in big ideas fades
- in the past, people’s identities were often shaped by things such as class, job, religion and where they were from
- However in a PM society, people create their identity by watching media, following trends and choosing what to buy and wear
- People are free to pick and mix from culture to culture however this can make society feel shallow and fake
11
Q
What does media cause in a PM society ?
A
- Media’s role in PM society leads to unstable and fragmented identities
- Culture is now a constant flow of changing images and values, producing different versions of the truth
- People are overwhelmed by conflicting and different viewpoints and this weakens belief in any single world view
12
Q
What is evaluation of PM?
A
- It ignores power and inequality, by claiming all media images are equal ignores how the rich and powerful use media to control society
- It confuses reality and media, by saying people cannot tell the difference between media and reality is often exaggerated
- It points out the problems but does not explain how or why these changes happened in society
13
Q
What do theories of late modernity argue?
A
- They argue that we are not in a completely new era, instead we are still in a modern era, but we are in the later stages of it
- They argue that modern features like change and uncertainty have accelerated and not been replaced
- Believe that modernist theories are still useful and they still believe we can use science and reason to understand and improve society
14
Q
What does Giddens argue?
A
- argues that we are live in late modernity and that it has 2 key features
- Disembedding, which is that relationships and social connections are no longer based on local interaction, for example people talk online instead of face to face
- Reflexivity, that people must constantly think about their actions based on new risks and information
- Giddens says that late modernity has bought new man made dangers, such as nuclear wars and climate change and these are called high consequence risks
- and lastly he believes that we can still act rationally to understand and reduce these risks
15
Q
what does Beck believe?
A
- Like Giddens, he believes that we live in a risk society, where new risks now come from human activity like pollution and not natural causes
- We have to individually assess risks and adapt our choices for example how we eat and live
- And this leads to reflexive modernisation, meaning constantly reflecting and adjusting to risks
16
Q
What is evaluations of theories of late modernity ?
A
- Critics argue that Beck is too optimistic, movements like environmentalism may be too divided to bring major change
- Useful because they accept society has changed but still believe we can use science to solve problems
17
Q
What do Marxist believe ?
A
- Believe in using knowledge to improve society
- However some modern marxists such as Jameson and Harvey agree we have moved into a postmodern era and they believe th economy and culture have changed significantly
- They do not see post modernity as a new era but rather as a result of changed in capitalism
18
Q
What does Harvey say?
A
- explains how capitalism changed after the 1970s crisis, moving into a new phase called flexible accumulation
- features of it is that it uses new technology and flexible working to meet its employers needs such as part time jobs or remote work
- Another feature is that it encourages rapid switching between products for example fast fashion trends
- an overall it leads to more choice, diversity and instability in consumption
- And it makes culture become commodified for example fashion, music and holidays are sold as products that shape our identity
19
Q
How has PM capitalism changed politics ?
A
- Traditional working class political power has weakened and new social movements have emerged such as feminism
- Harvey and Jameson are hopeful these groups unite into a rainbow alliance for change
20
Q
Evaluation of Marxist
A
- their view that working class leading a revolution seems outdated because modern society is too fragmented and people belong to many different movements
