Modern and Postmodern

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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 Definitions
Modern 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 Defns
2. 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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Modernity
Some argue modernity begins in 15th C Others
highlight 17th and 18th C Age of Reason go
with this.
Rise of modern culture and thought A) The
Enlightenment Faith in Progress Reason Improve
the world - debate, argument Challenge
traditional powers e.g. Church, monarchy Secular
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 World
F) 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 Up

• Modernity 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