Late Modernity & Postmodernity Flashcards
(25 cards)
When was modernity?
It began in the 1700s around the enlightenment project
Give some characteristics of modernity
The industrial society, less ruled by religion, fixed identity and roles
What 3 things do modernist sociological theories assume?
That humans should seek objective knowledge to progress
Scientific methods and value free
These can then be laws applied to all society
What 4 factors led to globalisation?
Technological changes
Economic changes
Political changes
Cultural and identity changes
Give an example of each globalisation factor in action
Tech - air travel and the internet led to time-space compression as the distance between people is less
Economy - there are 24/7 transactions which led to TNCs and a new global capitalist class - Jeff Bezos
Political - the mass media means that politicians are now under greater scrutiny
Cultural - fragmentation of communities through migration led to erosion of traditional identities
What do postmodernists believe?
That society has changed to a point where metanarratives no longer work - structures are disintegrating and identity is no longer fixed due to globalisation and technological
Give an example of postmodern changes in the family and crime
Family - blended families, and fatherhood focus
Crime - new cyber crime, more women
Which postmodernist discussed the collapse of metanarratives?
Lyotard - metanarratives like science or marxism no longer work as there is not universal truth just relative truth - eg science with smoking and thalidomide
Describe the fragmentation aspect of postmodernism
identity is no longer fixed but fluid and fragmented into more options eg gender
What is hybridity?
The idea that youth, music and cuisine are now a combination of pick-n-mix elements - eg country-rap or chicken tikka masala
How has globalisation led to cultural homogenisation?
Due to migration and the internet we now have a shared culture everywhere in the world eg email is the same in every language or McDonalds
Baudrillard talks about consumption in a postmodern society doing what?
Creating identity - as it is fluid now and you’re not born with it people can build it themselves from products and how they’re seen in the media eg punks or balenciaga
Who discusses media saturation in a postmodern world
Baudrillard - the lines between media and reality are becoming blurred
Define simulacra and hyper-reality
Simulacra - we start to believe in things that never acc existed they were created by the media eg the disney castle or Coca Cola santa
Hyper-reality - in reality tv we can’t tell what’s scripted and what’s real
Give 2 negative pieces of evaluation for postmodernism
- hypocritical as isn’t postmodernity just another metanarrative
- Overgeneralised as some people don’t have this much choice over their identity
What is late modernism?
The belief that the rapid changes we are seeing are just a late phase of modernity rather than postmodernism - there is still objective knowledge to be discovered
What is Giddens theory for late modernity?
That rapid changes occurred due to two features of late modernity:
Disembedding - social interactions are now independent from local context - online - so interactions are more impersonal
Reflexivity - Traditions don’t guide our actions anymore we have to make decisions for ourselves based on evaluating risks and consequences
What word defines late modernity?
Risk.
How does Giddens differ from postmodernism?
He thinks that we can intervene and change things and that the risks are manufactured - unlike postmodernism which thinks we cannot stop threats like nuclear war or global warming
Give a piece of positive and negative evaluation for Giddens
\+ optimistic and acknowledges we can change things - marxists say sometimes the working class cannot avoid these risks as they have no power
Who talks of late modernity as a risk society?
Beck
How have risks changed or increased according to Beck?
In the past we faced danger from nature that we could not control eg famine, drought but today the dangers are mainly man-made.
Also risk consciousness is more important in life as we are constantly considering risks when making decisions as tradition no longer informs actions - this has led to reflective modernisation.
Give some examples of greater risk consciousness shaping decisions in society
Less marriage
Political correctness
How does Beck agree with Giddens?
Beck also thinks we can overcome the risks and threats through political action eg environmentalism
