Postmodernism Flashcards
When did modernity begin?
1700’s
When did post modernity begin?
1980’s
What do post modernists believe?
Society is changing in a way that modernist theory’s like Marxism, functionalism, feminism and interactionalism could not explain
-The rise of new media, rapid technology growth and globalization meant traditional sources of identity’s like gender, class and ethnicity are irrelevant
-Changes reflected in changing interests like lgbtq+, disabled, world peace movements and climate change
-Due to social change this means life’s become insecure and unpredictable
-New approaches need to understand this changing world
Key features of post modernist society?
Globalization
Disembedding
Chaos and uncertainty
Globalization- what is this?
The growing interconnectedness of society’s across the world with the spread of the same culture, consumer goods and economic interests
Globalization- technology changes?
We can now cross countries in a matter of hours, or exchange information across the globe with a click of the mouse
Globalization- Changes in culture and identity?
-Makes it harder for culture to exist in isolation from one another
-Today we find ourselves in a global culture in which western owned media companies spread western culture to the rest of the world
E.g. Nike selling the same consumer goods in many countries helping to promote similar taste
Features- who believed in disembedding?
Giddens
Features- what does Giddens say about disembedding?
Argues people lives embedded to local context but are influenced by the global framework
For example, on the internet we can interact with others and even shop regardless of physical location and time
-The way socialize relationships are lifted out of context and are no longer confined by space of time
Features- who believed in chaos and uncertainty?
Bauman 1992
Features- Chaos and uncertainty bauman, what does this mean?
Argues society is in a state of liquid modernity where structures such as the family and social class are breaking down
-PM argued to call the family and institution is noncence, this array of family types in our society such as gay couples, unmarried couples, lone parents, shared living
We are no longer a typical family
Define meta narrative who made this?
Because we are constantly changing society so rapidly society can’t be applied to general theories like Marxism, functionalism and femenism
Loytard
Loytard- what does she think about meta narratives?
They are true society’s turned into many different groups and has been fragmented
Technology causes not solved problems
Who believes individualism?
Loytard
Loytard- what is individualism?
Everybody is becoming different and how we have very weak links that tie together, relationships, health and education
What is media saturated society?
The images the media portray have distorted society view
Media saturated society- baudrillard, what does simulacra?
Images that appear to reflect things in the real world but have no reality
Media saturated society- Baudrillard, what is hyper reality?
A view of the world which is created and defined by the media with the image of an event more real than the event it is meant by decipting
Features- you are what you buy, what sociologist said this?
Bauman
Bauman- you are what you buy?
Argues that people by goods not for usefulness but as identity symbols for the image and the impression of themselves they wish to protect
-People can build themselves to be whatever they want to be around an almost unlimited choice of leisure activity’s and consumer goods
McDonaldization- what is this?
The process by which the principles of the fast food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world
The central concepts employed in the fast food industry have spread to restaurants, toystory, bookstores this is called chain mentality
Macdonaldization- Max webers rationalizing?
Process of replacing traditional and emotional thought with reason and efficiency
-Believed most societies throughout history were governed by tradition and that the most significant trend in modern society is increasing rationalization of every part of lives
-Believed that rationalization would continue until our society would become an iron cage, dehumanizing everyone and creating an extreme level of uniformity
McDonaldization- ritzer?
MacDonald’s as a analogy for the over rationalization of society
The popularity of the restaurant itself is a perfect example of rationalization because traditional, home-cooked family meals have been replaced with meals of practicality and convenience
Continued rationalization has led to sectors beyond the fast food industry becoming increasingly uniform and automated
McDonaldization- 4 words?
Efficiency
Calculability
Predictability
Control and the replacment of human and non human technology
Evaluation of PM- Giddens late modernity and reflexivity?
-Accept change like globalization but argues these changed are a continuation of modern society in an intensified form not a new era of postmodernism
-Late modernity characterized by reflexibility meaning the knowledge we gain from society can affect the way we act in it
Evaluations of post modernism- Beck ‘risk society’?
Argues we are in a second modernity known as reflexative modernity were there are high levels of uncertainty and risk
-Risk seen in the family as high divorce rates
Evaluations of post modernism- Harvey and Marxism?
Suggest many of changes by pm can be explained by theory’s like Marxism
E.g. Globalization reflects capitalism opening up new sources of profits
Evaluation strengths?
+Highlights importance of cultural change
+Enphasis the construction of identity
+Challenge sociological meta narrative causing sociologists to reflect on other assumptions
Evaluation weekness?
-Assumes people are passive and easily influenced by the media
-Exagerated the scale of social change, cultural taste still influence by class, gender and ethnicity
