Modern and Postmodern

1. Modern and Postmodern Tie up some general themes and strands from 1st year sociology How explain major social changes in Western nations, over past 20, 30, or 50 years? e.g. in work – decline in manufacturing in politics – end of State Socialism, rise of NSMs Social class – greater white-collar workforce, ‘underclass’

2. Opening Definitions So: new terms needed – the postmodern? Debates on Modern/Postmodern strong since late 1980s Today – discuss ‘the Modern’ – Western societies since 18th/19th C Tomorrow – ‘the Postmodern’.

3. Opening Definitions Modern and Postmodern – meanings are highly contentious Few sociologists agree 1.Modernity & Postmodernity: Specific Eras, Social patterns Modernity - industrial age Postmodernity - post-industrial era

4. Opening Defns 2. Modernism & Postmodernism - Cultural aspect: artistic movements, intellectual understandings of modernity 3. Modernist or Postmodernist: follower of modernism or postmodernism respectively 4. Modernization/Postmodernization Process of becoming modern or postmodern respectively

5. Modernity Some argue ‘modernity’ begins in 15th C Others highlight 17th and 18th C – ‘Age of Reason’ – go with this. Rise of modern culture and thought A) The Enlightenment Faith in Progress & Reason Improve the world - debate, argument Challenge traditional powers e.g. Church, monarchy Secular ; Revolutionary

6. Modernity B) Scientific Advances – apply universally – strongest in ‘natural sciences’ Technology transforms nature for human benefit e.g. steam engines, railways, cars, planes Social Science plans the same Knowledge – clarifies how to create better world e.g. Apply sociology as social policy

7. Modernity – 19th – 21st Cs C) Industrialization D) Complex Division of Labour Fordism: assembly lines, tasks repeated endlessly, extra models made ‘just in case’ of extra sale E) Urbanization: rural areas depopulate

8. Modern World F) Social Stratification: quite fixed, tied to production process Class structure Gender - women (home/private) & men (work/public) separate spheres Race – imperialism – divides ethnicities G) Bipolarity (Marx): labour v. capital left v. right USSR/Comm v. USA/Cap

9. Modern World H) Nation-building: national identity, via nationalism, education, mass media, etc. I) Bureaucratization: complex, ever-present, in both State and industry All powerful – Weber

10. Modern Culture J) Division between: High culture - intellect (bourgeois) Low culture - body (lower class) Modernism – Modern Arts: Critical, constantly changing Challenging assumptions New styles and forms Critical reflection on modern life (Lash, Smart, Turner)

11. Themes of Modernity ‘Late Modernity’ - Habermas: modernity about progress, critical rationality. Can produce a true democratic society (emphasis on A) Beck – ‘Second Modernity’ ‘Reflexive Modernization’ – more critical awareness, looser social ties, rapid changes, uncertain future Giddens – reflexive modernity; like a juggernaut; radical aspect, transform social life

12. Sum Up • Modernity and modernization – long-term processes • Linked to: • power of critical reason, science • industry • modern class structure, nations • bureaucracies • high/low culture split • recent theories of late/second modernity – rapid changes, but still modern societies