late modernity

Question 1

GIDDENS & BECK; not all societies have evolved into postmodern societies

Answer 1

• today’s rapid changes are not new but a continuation of modern society
• society is now in late/high modernity (modernity intensified) and now it has gone overdrive

Question 2

GIDDENS; reflexivity and high modernity

Answer 2

these encourage globalisation and rapid change:
- disembedding; ‘lifting out of social relations from local contexts of interaction’ so geographical barriers and make interaction more impersonal

• reflexivity; tradition and custom no longer serve as a guide to how we should act
• so we are forced to become reflexive (reflect on and modify our actions)
• so we are continuously re-evaluating our ideas

Question 3

BECK: late modernity and risk

Answer 3

• we face new high consequences risks e.g. environmental harm
• he calls this ‘manufactured risks’ due to technology not nature

Question 4

unlike postmodernists GIDDENS & BECK believe..

Answer 4

• we can make rational plans based on objective knowledge to reduce these risks and achieve progress

Question 5

GIDDENs observation of late modern society characteristics

Answer 5

• economic, political and cultural instability
• social change; traditional norms are challenged
• environmental risks to individuals and future humanity

Question 6

BECK: features of risk societies

Answer 6

• risk; range of risks no other historical period faced due to manufactured risks (technology is out of humans’ control)
• subject to global influence; diseases, illness etc can no longer be limited to one country
• lack of class differences; they are no longer important
• reflexivity; people can engage in self evaluation and open to adopting alternative ways of living
• individualisation; choices are no longer limited by tradition