globalisation modernity and postmodernity Flashcards
modernity
Emerged in Western Europe, late 18th century and has distinguishing characteristics from previous traditional societies:
1. The nation state- key political unit in modern society, a powerful centralised state ruling a population who share the same language/culture. Modern society is made up of separate
societies that have their own state.
2. Capitalism- the economy is modern societies is based on private ownership of the means of production and the use of wage labourers. The nation state regulates capitalism and the
conditions it operates under.
3. Rationality, science & technology- ration, secular, scientific ways of thinking dominate while religious explanations of the world declines. Technically efficient organisations like
factories dominate social and economic life, while science is important in industry, medicine and communications.
4. Individualism- tradition, custom and ascribed status become less of a basis for our actions, as greater personal freedom lets us choose our own life course and define our own identity.
However, structural inequalities like class still shape identifies and restrict choices.
globalisation
This is the increasing interconnectedness of people across
national boundaries.
1. Technological changes:
* We can now cross continents in just hours and exchange info with a click of a mouse.
* The internet, global Tv networks and more have created time-space compression which closes the distance between people.
* However, tech brings risks on a global scale like climate change from green house gases. Beck (1992) argues we live in a risk society where threats come from thing’s we’ve created ourselves rather than natural
disasters.
2. Economic changes:
* Global networks encourage economic activity, an electronic economy where commodities like music, Tv shows are produced, distributed and
consumed via global electronic networks.
* In this electronic economy, money never sleeps, as global 24hr financial transactions permit transferring funds all over the worlds in the pursuit
of profit, which contributes to risk society.
* Transnational companies (TNCs) that operate across frontiers and organise production on a global scale are also a major economic factor
pushing globalisation.
Political changes:modernity and globalisation
Sociologists argue that globalisation has undermined the power of the nation state.
* Ohmae (1994)- we live in a borderless world where TNCs and consumers have more power than national
governments.
* Here, states are less able to regulate the activities of large capitalist enterprises.
- Changes in culture & identity:Modernity and Globalisation
Globalisation makes it harder for cultures to exist in isolation from each other, as well as ICT and mass
media.
* Today we live in a global culture where Western-owned media companies spread Western culture around
the world.
* Economic integration also encourages a global culture as TNCs sell the same products everywhere, so
similar tastes are promoted.
overview of postmodernism
- This theory argues that we are living in a new era of
‘postmodernity’. - Postmodernity is unstable, fragmented, media-saturated global village, where we cannot tell image an reality apart.
- In this society, we define ourselves by what we consume.
Baudrillard (1983)- Simulacra:Post modernism
- Argues that knowledge is central to postmodern society, as it is no longer based on the production of
consumer goods. - Instead, society is now based on buying and selling knowledge in the form of images and signs, which bear
no relation to physical reality. - Today, signs are called simulacra, and stand for nothing other than themselves- they no longer signify
some other real thing. - EG- tabloid newspaper articles about soap opera characters are ‘signs about signs’ instead of about an
underlying reality. - Baudrillard calls this situation hyperreality- signs appear more real than reality itself and substitute
themselves for it, though they do not represent anything and are literally meaningless.
Culture, identity & politics:Postmodernisn
Postmodernists argue that culture and identity in modern society is fundamentally different to modern society, even more so due to the media’s role in creating hyperreality.
* The media produces an endless stream of ever changing images, values and versions of the truth- which makes culture fragmented and unstable, there is no longer a coherent/fixed set of values shared by society’s members.
* This array of messages and view points also undermines our faith in metanarratives, as people will cease to believe in any version if they’re present with so many variations of the truth.
* Identity is also destabilised in postmodern society.
* Instead of having a fixed identity ascribed by our class,
we’re now able to make our own identities from the images and lifestyles offered in the media. We can simply change our identity by changing our consumption (mixing cultural goods and media-made images).
* Baudrillard argues that in postmodernity we have lost the power to improve society, as if we cannot even grasp what is reality, we are powerless to change it.
knowledge:postmodernism
Postmodernists argue that there are no sure foundations to knowledge, we have no objective
criteria to find a theory true or false. This has 2 consequences:
1. The Enlightenment project is dead- if we can’t assure that our knowledge is correct, we can’t use it to improve society.
2. Other theories are just metanarratives- theories that argue they have the truth on how to make
society better, like Marxism, are just big stories/a version of someone’s reality we don’t have to accept.
* Instead, postmodernists take a relativist view, arguing that all views are true to those who hold
them and we therefore should celebrate the diversity of these views.
criticisims of postmodernism
- Makes important points about the significance of the media for culture/identity, as well as rejecting metanarratives.
Phil & Miller’s (2001) criticisms: - Ignores power and inequality, as the idea that media images are unconnected with reality ignores how the ruling class use it as a tool of domination.
- The claim that we freely construct our identities through consumption ignores how poverty restricts this for some.
- They are simply wrong to claim that people can’t distinguish between reality and media images.
- Assuming all views are true allows people to justify immoral perspectives, like denying the Holocaust.
overview of modernism
Theories of late modernity argue that the
rapid change we’re experiencing isn’t a
new era of postmodernity, but a
continuation of modernity, where key
features are intensified.
* Unlike postmodernism, late modernity
doesn’t reject the Enlightenment project-
believing that we can still discover
objective knowledge and use it to improve
society.
Modernity & risk:
Giddens argues that we face high consequence risks
in late modern society, such as military risks
(nuclear war), economic risks (instability of capitalist
economy), environmental risks (global warming),
and threats to freedom such as increased state
surveillance.
* All of these risks are man-made rather than natural,
though Giddens rejects the postmodernist view that
we cannot intervene to improve things, instead
believing we can make rational plans to reduce
them.
Giddens- reflexivity:
Argues we’re now in a late stage of modernity, where we experience rapid change, often on a global scale. this is
due to 2 features of modernity:
1. Disembedding- we no longer need face-to-face contact in order to interact- disembedding breaks down
geographical barriers and makes interaction more impersonal.
* Giddens argues that tradition/custom are less important in late modern society and are no longer a guide for
how we should act, and instead we are more individualistic.
- Reflexivity- we are forced to be reflexive now that tradition doesn’t tell us how to act. We continually re-
evaluate our theories and ideas, as nothing is fixed.
- Late modern society therefore becomes increasingly unstable/up for change under these conditions, while
disembedding and reflexivity account for the rapid social change in this society.
Beck- risk society:
Beck believes in the Enlightenment tradition- that the power of reason can make a better world. He also however believes that late modern society (risk society) faces new dangers:
* In the past, dangers were from our inability to control
nature, such as drought/famine/disease, but now dangers are manufactured risks from our own activities, such as global warming.
Beck also believes in growing individualism, where tradition no longer governs our acts:
* This means we have to constantly take in the risks attached to different courses of action we can take- he calls this reflective modernisation.
* Therefore, ‘risk consciousness’ becomes central to society’s culture- we are more aware of risks and try to minimise them.
* Unlike Baudrillard, Beck believes in our ability to use
rationality to overcome issues in society.
Evaluation of late modernity:
Reflexivity suggests that we reflect on our actions and then are free to shape our lives
accordingly in order to minimise risk. However, not everyone has this option, such as poorer
people exposed to environmental risks.
* Rustin (1994)- criticises Beck, arguing that it’s capitalism and its pursuit of profit at all costs that
is the source of risk, not technology.
* Hirst (1993)- rejects Beck’s idea that environmentalism will bring about change because it’s too
fragmented to challenge capitalism.
overview of marxist theories on postmodernity
- Like Giddens and Beck, Marxists believe in the Enlightenment project of achieving objective knowledge and using it to improve society.
- Unlike them, Marxists Jameson (1984) and Harvey (1989) believe that we have move from modernity into postmodernity.
- They also describe postmodernity like postmodernist sociologists do- emphasising media images, diversity and instability.
However, Marxists studying postmodernism argue that it is merely the product of the most recent stage of capitalism rather than a fundamental break with the
past.
- Harvey argues that capitalism is a dynamic system that’s constantly developing new technologies/ways of organising production to make profits. However, it is
prone to crises of profitability, which is exactly what postmodernism is- it rose from the capitalist crisis of the 1970s.
Politics & progress: Marxist
theories of
postmodernity
- Jameson and Harvey argue that flexible
accumulation has brought about postmodern
political changes. - EG: it has weaken working-class and socialist
movements and has put oppositional movements in
their place, like women’s liberation and anti-racism. - However, they hope that the new social movement
can form a rainbow alliance to bring about change.
Therefore, Marxists agree with postmodernists that we
have entered modernity, but they differ from them in 2
ways:
1. They retain Marxism as an explanation for these
changes.
2. They argue that the goal of the Enlightenment
project can still happen.
Flexible accumulation:MArxist theories of postmodernims
- This crisis gave way to a new way of achieving profitability- flexible accumulation or post-Fordism.
- Post-Fordism involves the use of information tech, an
expanded finance and service sector, job insecurity and the requirement of ‘flexible’ workers to fit employer needs. - This permits the production of customised products for
small/niche markets and easily switching from making one product to another instead of standardised products for mass markets.
These changes brought about the cultural characteristics of postmodernism- diversity, choice and instability: - Production of customised products for niche markets
promotes cultural diversity. - Easy switching product production encourages constant shifts in fashion.
- Flexible accumulation has made leisure, culture and identities into commodities, as cultural products like
fashion/music/sports have become sources of profit.
Therefore, Jameson argues that postmodernity represents a more developed form of capitalism that commodifies all aspects of life, even identity.
evaluation of marxist theories of postmodernitty
Marx’s view that the Enlightenment project will be achieved via a WCR revolution is
abandoned here as opposition to capitalism has fragmented into many different social
movements that can’t meet this possibility.
* However, the strength of these Marxist-Postmodernist theories is that they relate these
social changes to capitalism, giving them an explanation where postmodernism does not.
