Postmodernism And Late Modernity

Question 1

Jean Francois lyotard: POINT

Answer 1

• pm = ‘ incredulity towards metanarratives’ (explain) - these no longer apply according to pm as Soc has become as fragmented into groups lifestyles etc which are constantly changing that Soc is essentially chaotic
• all knowledge of any kind is now equally valid
• now been loss of faith in superiority of rations, thought and science as a means of progress and improvement
• science and technology often cause rather than solve problems eg climate change + pollution
• suggests: pm Soc are characterised by growing individualism - now only a mass of individuals with few social bonds connecting them, forming their identities via individual choices in edu health consumer goods they buy etc

Question 2

Jean Francois lyotard: MODULE LINKS

Answer 2

1. FAMILY: cheal: chosen family’s. Beck and giddens: individualisation thesis
2. EDUCATION: Thompson: there should be no one size fits all approach- he supports specialist schools
3. BELIEFS: rejection of metanarratives in a pm Soc with rise of NRM and NAM - heelas and woodhead
4. CRIME: rejection of crime theory’s every crime is unique to every criminal and victim

Question 3

A03 Jean Francis lyotard

Answer 3

It’s clear that many are still constrained by social structures such as class gender ethnicity and religion

Question 4

Jean baudrillard: POINT

Answer 4

• life in pm era is so dominated by media imagery that it’s become media saturated
• mass media more or less reflect some basic reality but media images now dominate and distort our world view
• media presents simulacra (images reflecting events in real world but have no basis in reality - viewed simultaneously globally)
• eg: tv coverages of war - use of laser tech for missile shootings gets rid of blood and suffering - produces sanitised version of conflict. War now = media constructed spectacles - now unable to distinguish them between Hollywood movies or video games
• calls this distorted world hyper reality - feel like your experiencing it due to how real it’s
• eg: some celebs eg kardashians = famous due to media and no other reason
• eg: 2008 deirde Barlow being sent to prison = resulted in campaign ‘free the weather field one’ - Home Secretary (jokingly) threatened to intervene

Question 5

Jean baudrillard: MODULE LINKS

Answer 5

1. CRIME: hyper reality of crime. A gender setting and news values lead to an exaggeration of victim hood for some groups - raises public fear of crime

Question 6

Jean baudrillard: A03

Answer 6

1. Overemphasis influence of mass media tending to assume people are passive and easily duped and manipulated by them. People can make own judgements about what’s real and not - are aware media doesn’t always give truth
2. Ignore power and inequality eg ignores media is used by ruling class as tool of domination
3. Citizen journalism - can see through the simulacra

Question 7

Zygmunt Bauman: POINT

Answer 7

• Soc is in sate of constant unpredictable change marked by chaos and uncertainty -calls it liquid modernity (social structures eg family and nation state are breaking down)
• pm: to refer to institution as family due to wide range of ever changing personal relationships- notion of typical family = absurd when consider gay and lesbian couples, high divorce rates etc
• life in pm Soc resembles shopping mall: people choose whatever they like trying out and constructing own identity
• buy goods not for usefulness but as an identity for the image and impression of themselves they project to others
• in this pm pick and mix Soc people can be whoever and adopt lifestyles and identities built around almost unlimited choice of leisure activities and consumer goods etc in what’s a globalised consumer markets

Question 8

Zygmunt bauman: MODULE LINSKN

Answer 8

1. CRIME:growing individualisation where people put personal gain over community benefit
2. BELIEFS: heelas and woodhead: the Kendal project - the holistic milieus. Hervieu-leger: spiritual shopping

Question 9

Zygmunt bauman: A03

Answer 9

1. Eagletom (Marxist): pm ideas about consumer choice are merely justification for uncontrolled capitalism
2. Claim that we are free to construct own identity via consumption overlooks effect of poverty in restricting opportunities

Question 10

beck: POINT

Answer 10

• late/high modernist
• there’s a new phase of modernity with high levels of risk and uncertainty, he calls ‘risk society’ which occur in rapidly changing parts of everyday life
• eg: family - high divorces and growth in diversity
• risks are different from natural disaster as they are in human control and man made
  -science can make things worse but can also make things better - feature of modernity

Question 11

Beck: MODULE LINK

Answer 11

1. FAMILY: risk of unemployment and increase divorce rates
2. CRIME: global risk consciousness eg cyber crime

Question 12

Postmodernists and research methods: POINT

Answer 12

• reject positivist methods - believe it’s impossible to search for objective truth and likewise pointless trying to discover laws of human behaviour and improve Soc
• pm: rarely carry out research and prefer to offer critical analysis of other theory’s
• some study media messages and attempt to decode them via semiology

Question 13

Postmodernists and research methods: A03

Answer 13

Pm criticised for lack of research and in general being too theoretical