Post Modernism Flashcards
(15 cards)
Modernism
indust & manu of stan good for mass market
work & social class = means of div & iden, cul pol & soc class = rela = nat econs & idenss
one way media reflecting soc reality
belief in rational thought & sci to improv the world
socio theory & research provide insight & expl of soc world
Post Modernism
chaos & uncer in soc
national state fam & soc class = brekaing down
so such thing as normal fam so why talk about it
Globalisation
replacement of national idens by:
supra-nat bodies - EU / UN
interconnected econs
multi nat corps
glob culs
Metanarratives & Myth of Truth
Lyotard - bc soc changing so rapidly & constantly X understand thro gen theories / metanars
big theories - Marxism - X apply soc = frag
loss of faith in superiority of rational thought & sci
Choice, Identity & Postmodernism
unlike struc approaches, PMs believe few contraints on indus = mass of indus making indu choices
emph on indus as consumers w/ choices in edu etc
ppl form pick & mix idens
Media Saturated Society
Baudrillard - life so dom by media = media sat
media doms & distorts how see world
presents simulacra - images appear to reflect events in real world but have no basis in reality
even images of real events are so distorted they actually replace reality eg war = media contruc
Hyperreality
view created & defined by media & image becomes m real than reality as tries to make viewers feel it is experiencing an event
Giddens - our world is a make believe universe in which we respond to media images rather than real ppl & places
eg ppl writing to soap charas
Pick & Mix Identities
class, gender, ethnicity no longer NB
info images & signs define iden now
Bradley (1996) new idens created by glob bringing dif culture groups into contact
now iden w/ sexuality. disability, races religion etc
Bauman (1996)
life resembles a shopping mall - stroll around consuming whaterver want constructing & changing idens
Strengths
highlighted NB cul changes
emph that construc of iden = m fluid & complex proces X response to soc strucs
provides insight into recent soc changes eg glob
challenges metanars
Criticisms - Giddens
late mod & reflexivity - accepts have run away world marked my new risks & uncers - brought late/high mod
chara by soc reflex - know we gain from social can affect way we act in it - in late mod reflex grows in NB as soc institus reflect on what they do & how do things - ppl reflect on circums they live in = personal freedom & fulfillment - ppl can act to chanfe & improve world
Beck Risk Society & Reflexive Modernity
= new phase of mod - reflex mod - chara by high levels of uncertainty in risk soc - risks in institus & sci - GM crops etc - sci carries risk of making worse can make better
Harvey & Marxism
many PMs claims can be expl by marxism
eg glob, growth of consum & indu of iden reflect cap opening up new markets & sources of prof in glob econ
Giddens, Beck & Harvey
distinc between mod & PM = exag
PM = just latest develops in mod
Changes = expl by existing socio theories eg Marxism & new sophis eg Giddens Structuration theory
challenges PM view - know is rela & t= impos to develop gen theories about the social world
Criticisms
PM = all criticism. - lacks values, vision of soc / progress
Overemph mass media power - assumes ppl = passive
Exags scale of soc change cul tastes still influ by class gender eth
Assumes all indus = free to act as wish picking & choosing idens
PM is itself a metanarrative!
Ollocks (2008): PM = but an exhausting intellectual game using obscure ideas and flowery language to disguise nonsensical theories
