Download Understanding Postmodernity

Understanding Postmodernity
Pre-modernity, Modernity &
Postmodernity
Features of Pre-Modernity
• Rural way of life with strong
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communities
Marriages and jobs for life
Mass illiteracy and superstition
Acceptance of hierarchies and
traditional roles
Strong faith in religion and
agreement over values
Very little travel and influence
from overseas
Art and culture reflected way
of life
Features of Modernity
• The dawning of Modernity was
called the “Enlightenment” by
Marx
• Industrialisation, faith in
science and “rationality” were
seen as advancements in
society
• Wider education and
advancements in medicine
were seen as knowledge that
could “perfect the world”
• Religion could be challenged
Modernity
• Capitalism and colonisation
were key features of the
Industrial Revolution
• Opportunities to travel
widened and there was an
emerging mass media
• Concepts of democracy,
individualism and citizenship
rights were also emerging
• However, stratification by
class, gender and ethnicity
remained rigid
Modernity – 19th & 20th C
• Sociologists describe Western
society as remaining in an age
of Modernity until 1960s/1970s
• Although there had been huge
societal changes over the
period of modernity, division
by class, gender and ethnicity
still remained
• By the 1970s, awareness of
issues around equal
opportunities was growing and
assumptions of the modern
age were questioned
Postmodernity
• Most Sociologists would argue
that we are now living in a
postmodern era
• This is characterised by a
rejection of traditional values
and previous social norms
• Some would argue that this is
a positive thing as it allows
individual freedoms
• Others would lament the loss
of traditional values and feel
that this promotes a shallow
and individualistic society
Features of Postmodernity
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Cultural Relativism – the slogan of Postmodernity is “Anything goes”
Widespread immigration and International travel
Art, fashion and architecture taken from many cultural influences
Secularisation – the development and acceptance of new and
different religious movements
Breakdown of barriers concerning class, gender and ethnicity
Choice of lifestyles, of family structures and of roles in the family
and wider society
Consumerism allows people to create new identities
Projecting the self through appearance – body building, beauty
enhancing treatments
The Postmodern world is
dominated by
• Mass Media, the internet and
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satellite providing rapid access
to information globally
A global economy with
international organisations
more powerful than nation
states
Mass literacy – particularly in
the West but a decline of “jobs
for life”
Key thinkers include
Leyotard, Baudrillard