Late Modernity & Postmodernity

Question 1

When was modernity?

Answer 1

It began in the 1700s around the enlightenment project

Question 2

Give some characteristics of modernity

Answer 2

The industrial society, less ruled by religion, fixed identity and roles

Question 3

What 3 things do modernist sociological theories assume?

Answer 3

That humans should seek objective knowledge to progress
Scientific methods and value free
These can then be laws applied to all society

Question 4

What 4 factors led to globalisation?

Answer 4

Technological changes
Economic changes
Political changes
Cultural and identity changes

Question 5

Give an example of each globalisation factor in action

Answer 5

Tech - air travel and the internet led to time-space compression as the distance between people is less
Economy - there are 24/7 transactions which led to TNCs and a new global capitalist class - Jeff Bezos
Political - the mass media means that politicians are now under greater scrutiny
Cultural - fragmentation of communities through migration led to erosion of traditional identities

Question 6

What do postmodernists believe?

Answer 6

That society has changed to a point where metanarratives no longer work - structures are disintegrating and identity is no longer fixed due to globalisation and technological

Question 7

Give an example of postmodern changes in the family and crime

Answer 7

Family - blended families, and fatherhood focus

Crime - new cyber crime, more women

Question 8

Which postmodernist discussed the collapse of metanarratives?

Answer 8

Lyotard - metanarratives like science or marxism no longer work as there is not universal truth just relative truth - eg science with smoking and thalidomide

Question 9

Describe the fragmentation aspect of postmodernism

Answer 9

identity is no longer fixed but fluid and fragmented into more options eg gender

Question 10

What is hybridity?

Answer 10

The idea that youth, music and cuisine are now a combination of pick-n-mix elements - eg country-rap or chicken tikka masala

Question 11

How has globalisation led to cultural homogenisation?

Answer 11

Due to migration and the internet we now have a shared culture everywhere in the world eg email is the same in every language or McDonalds

Question 12

Baudrillard talks about consumption in a postmodern society doing what?

Answer 12

Creating identity - as it is fluid now and you’re not born with it people can build it themselves from products and how they’re seen in the media eg punks or balenciaga

Question 13

Who discusses media saturation in a postmodern world

Answer 13

Baudrillard - the lines between media and reality are becoming blurred

Question 14

Define simulacra and hyper-reality

Answer 14

Simulacra - we start to believe in things that never acc existed they were created by the media eg the disney castle or Coca Cola santa
Hyper-reality - in reality tv we can’t tell what’s scripted and what’s real

Question 15

Give 2 negative pieces of evaluation for postmodernism

Answer 15

• hypocritical as isn’t postmodernity just another metanarrative
• Overgeneralised as some people don’t have this much choice over their identity

Question 16

What is late modernism?

Answer 16

The belief that the rapid changes we are seeing are just a late phase of modernity rather than postmodernism - there is still objective knowledge to be discovered

Question 17

What is Giddens theory for late modernity?

Answer 17

That rapid changes occurred due to two features of late modernity:
Disembedding - social interactions are now independent from local context - online - so interactions are more impersonal
Reflexivity - Traditions don’t guide our actions anymore we have to make decisions for ourselves based on evaluating risks and consequences

Question 18

What word defines late modernity?

Answer 18

Risk.

Question 19

How does Giddens differ from postmodernism?

Answer 19

He thinks that we can intervene and change things and that the risks are manufactured - unlike postmodernism which thinks we cannot stop threats like nuclear war or global warming

Question 20

Give a piece of positive and negative evaluation for Giddens

Answer 20

\+ optimistic and acknowledges we can change things
- marxists say sometimes the working class cannot avoid these risks as they have no power

Question 21

Who talks of late modernity as a risk society?

Answer 21

Beck

Question 22

How have risks changed or increased according to Beck?

Answer 22

In the past we faced danger from nature that we could not control eg famine, drought but today the dangers are mainly man-made.
Also risk consciousness is more important in life as we are constantly considering risks when making decisions as tradition no longer informs actions - this has led to reflective modernisation.

Question 23

Give some examples of greater risk consciousness shaping decisions in society

Answer 23

Less marriage

Political correctness

Question 24

How does Beck agree with Giddens?

Answer 24

Beck also thinks we can overcome the risks and threats through political action eg environmentalism

Question 25

Give a piece of negative evaluation for Beck

Answer 25

• the political action movements are too fragmented to be successful