Globalisation, Modernity and Postmodernity

Question 1

What is modernity characterised by?

Answer 1

Life being orderly and predictable, with a nation state influencing shared identities.

Question 2

What are the four key features of modernity?

Answer 2

• The Nation State
• Capitalism
• Rationality, Science and Technology
• Individualism

Question 3

What is the Nation State?

Answer 3

• The key political unit of a modern society, ruled by a centralised government with a population sharing the same language and culture.
• Organises social life on a national basis
• Identity represented in flags + bureaucracies

Question 4

What is Capitalism?

Answer 4

• The economic base of modern society, based on the private ownership of the means of production.
• Capitalism is regulated by the nation state; which is ‘Organised Capitalism’ ( Lash + Urry )
• Production is organised in a ‘ Fordist Principle of Production ‘ which is the mass production of standardised products.

Question 5

Explain Rationality, Science and Technology?

Answer 5

• Secular ways of thinking dominate society and enchantement declines.

Question 6

What is Individualism?

Answer 6

• Tradition and ascribed status have less influence, we are able to choose our own identity which is sometimes impaired by structural inequalities.
• Bradley: identity is predictable and formed by social structures such as class, gender and ethnicity.

Question 7

How was globalisation impacted modernity?

Answer 7

• Nation states have lost their power to define and control us.

Question 8

What changed have brought about gloablisation?

Answer 8

• Technological: internet and satellite connections have brought around a global village and increase our ability to travel ( increase secular thinking )
• Economic; economic activity takes place over global networks, things in one country can impact another. A global capitalist class has been created who control transnational corps.
• Political; undermined the power of nation states
  Ohmae; we live in a ‘borderless world’ where TNCs have more power than governments.
• Cultural; cultures can no longer exist isolated from one another, we live in a global culture.