Postmodernism Flashcards
modernity
Sociology came about at a time of massive social change - the development of the modern world with its fundamental changes from a rural, small scale, community way of life to one of large-scale industrialisation and urbanisation. The nature of society became transformed and fundamentally different - the world became modern and we had entered the age of modernity.
This period is also referred to as the enlightenment. This is the shift from beliefs based on religion and spirituality to a preference for science and evidence-based research. This is mainly due to scientific explanations appearing more plausible as they are based on empirical evidence. Weber referred to this process as ‘rationalisation’ – people began to favour rational, logical, evidence based arguments over religious ones based on faith.
In this time, families were traditional with a clear domestic division of labour and monogamous relationships between adults. Working life was dominated by men who worked in factories, often completing dangerous work in poor conditions. There was little diversity, and anyone who did not fit the mould of the modern family would be seen as eccentric and unusual.
postmodernity
Industrialisation created major change and formed what we know as ‘modern’ society, and Postmodernists argue that the 1980s brought another revolutionary change in society and a new era of Postmodernity. This period is characterised by a loss of faith in science and metanarratives with more and more people questioning the norms of the modern era. Beliefs have become more diverse and there has been a return to spirituality, with individuals constructing their own identity – there is no ‘norm’ anymore. Within this, there has been an increase in family diversity with the greater acceptance of different family types and relationships. Working life in the West is based less on production as this is outsourced to other countries due to globalisation, and many people work in areas of technology and finance. Work is no longer 9-5 and for life, working life is much more flexible and education is a lifelong process with continuous training throughout working life and flexibility to change career. The public sphere is no longer dominated by men as Postmodern society has given more space for women to achieve and move away from the housewife role – 90% of women now work.
Grand metanarratives are no longer accepted, and Postmodernists argue that differentiation based on class, age, gender and ethnicity is no longer relevant.
risk society, beck
Beck argues that entering Postmodern society poses risk and uncertainty. As society is fragmented and broken into different beliefs this means that there is no sense of shared reality. Beck does not argue that this is either positive or negative, he simply notes the extent to which risk has increased in Postmodern society.
hyperreality and simulacra
For Baudrillard the post-modern age is a world where people respond to media images rather than to real persons or places. For example, when Diana, Princes of Wales, died in 1997, there was an enormous outpouring of grief all over the world. But were people mourning a real person? Princes Diana existed for most people only through the mass media, and her death was presented like an event in a soap opera rather than an event in real life. Separating out reality from representation has become impossible when all that exists is ‘hyperreality.
postmodern consequences for sociology
Sociology is concerned with making generalisations and employing key variables such as gender and class – these are no longer relevant. As the world is increasingly uncertain and ambiguous the old ‘grand narratives’ (like Functionalism and Marxism) are no longer useful in explaining or predicting. As sociology is only one of many sets of ideas (and we can’t establish which is better than others) we cannot use sociology to change society.
postmodernists and metanarratives
Postmodernist are critical of metanarratives such as Marxism on the grounds that they have helped to create oppressive states that impose their version of the truth on people. For example, in the former Soviet Union, the state used Marxism as a basis for their regime which included slave labour camps.
Postmodernists reject metanarratives that claim absolute truth and take a relativist position that is they argue that all views are true for all those that hold them. All accounts of reality are equally valid and we should celebrate the diversity of beliefs rather than seek to impose one version of the truth on everyone. This is why they are critical of science. This also means that those individuals who may have been marginalised and oppressed such as ethnic minorities and women have the opportunity to have their voices heard.
