1 Modern and Postmodern Tie up some general themes and strands from 1 st year sociology How explain...

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Modern and Postmodern

Tie up some general themes and strands from 1st year sociology

How explain major social changes in Western nations, over past 20, 30, or 50 years?

e.g. in work – decline in manufacturing

in politics – end of State Socialism, rise of NSMs

Social class – greater white-collar workforce, ‘underclass’

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Opening Definitions

So: new terms needed – the postmodern?

Debates on Modern/Postmodern strong since late 1980s

Today – discuss ‘the Modern’ – Western societies since 18th/19th C

Tomorrow – ‘the Postmodern’.

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Opening DefinitionsModern and Postmodern –

meanings are highly contentious

Few sociologists agree

1.Modernity & Postmodernity:

Specific Eras, Social patterns

Modernity - industrial age

Postmodernity - post-industrial era

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Opening Defns2. Modernism & Postmodernism -

Cultural aspect: artistic movements, intellectual understandings of modernity

3. Modernist or Postmodernist:

follower of modernism or postmodernism respectively

4. Modernization/Postmodernization

Process of becoming modern or postmodern respectively

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ModernitySome argue ‘modernity’ begins in 15th C

Others highlight 17th and 18th C – ‘Age of Reason’ – go with this.

Rise of modern culture and thoughtA) The EnlightenmentFaith in Progress & ReasonImprove the world - debate, argumentChallenge traditional powers e.g. Church, monarchySecular ; Revolutionary

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Modernity

B) Scientific Advances – apply universally – strongest in ‘natural sciences’

Technology transforms nature for human benefit e.g. steam engines, railways, cars, planes

Social Science plans the same

Knowledge – clarifies how to create better world

e.g. Apply sociology as social policy

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Modernity – 19th – 21st Cs

C) Industrialization

D) Complex Division of Labour

Fordism: assembly lines, tasks repeated endlessly, extra models made ‘just in case’ of extra sale

E) Urbanization: rural areas depopulate

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Modern WorldF) Social Stratification:

quite fixed, tied to production process

Class structure

Gender - women (home/private) & men (work/public) separate spheres

Race – imperialism – divides ethnicities

G) Bipolarity (Marx):

labour v. capital

left v. right

USSR/Comm v. USA/Cap

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Modern World

H) Nation-building:

national identity, via nationalism, education, mass media, etc.

I) Bureaucratization:

complex, ever-present,

in both State and industry

All powerful – Weber

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Modern Culture

J) Division between:

High culture - intellect (bourgeois)

Low culture - body (lower class)

Modernism – Modern Arts:

Critical, constantly changing

Challenging assumptions

New styles and forms

Critical reflection on modern life

(Lash, Smart, Turner)

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Themes of Modernity

‘Late Modernity’ -

Habermas: modernity about progress, critical rationality.

Can produce a true democratic society (emphasis on A) Beck – ‘Second Modernity’

‘Reflexive Modernization’ – more critical awareness, looser social ties, rapid changes, uncertain future

Giddens – reflexive modernity; like a juggernaut; radical aspect, transform social life

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Sum UpModernity and modernization – long-term processes

Linked to:- power of critical reason, science- industry- modern class structure, nations- bureaucracies- high/low culture split- recent theories of late/second modernity – rapid changes, but still modern societies