Postmodernism

• What do postmodernists claim about contemporary western societies?

  They have moved from modern to postmodern.
• How is postmodernity characterized according to postmodernists?

  By an unstable, fragmented, media-saturated society.
• What do some leading sociologists argue about the transition to postmodernity?

  We are in late or high modernity instead.
• What time period does modernity cover?

  18th century to 1970s.
• What is the key political unit in modern society?

  The nation-state.
• What does the nation-state typically share among its population?

  Language and culture.
• How does the state organize social life in modern society?

  On a national basis.
• What is the economic system of modern societies?

  Capitalism.
• What does capitalism rely on in modern societies?

  Private ownership and wage labor.
• What is the relationship between capitalism and wealth distribution?

  Wealth distribution is unequal, causing class conflict.
• What do Lash & Urry describe organized capitalism as?

  A system regulating capitalism's operations.
• What production principles are evident in modern industry?

  Fordist principles of mass production.
• How have cheap mass-produced goods affected living standards?

  They have led to a rising standard of living.
• What type of thinking dominates modern societies?

  Rational, secular, and scientific thinking.
• What forms of organization dominate social and economic life in modernity?

  Bureaucracies and factories.
• What has become increasingly important in various fields due to modernity?

  Science.
• How has individualism changed in modern societies?

  Tradition and custom are less important.
• What remains important despite greater personal freedom in modernity?

  Structural inequalities like class.
• What has technological change allowed in modern society?

  Crossing continents in hours.
• What has created time-space compression in modernity?

  Satellite communications and the internet.
• What risks does technology bring on a global scale?

  Global climate change and rising sea levels.
• Who argues that technological changes increase risks in society?

  Beck.
• What does Rustin claim is the source of risk in society?

  Capitalism's pursuit of profit.
• How is economic activity characterized in modern societies?

  Within global networks.
• What type of economy is increasingly present in modernity?

  A weightless or electronic economy.
• How does the electronic economy operate globally?

  Through global electronic networks.
• What does Beck claim about economic change in late modern society?

  It involves increasing risks but possible progress.
• What political change facilitated globalization?

  The fall of communism.
• How has politics changed in modern societies?

  It has become more personalized and diverse.
• What cultural change is noted in postmodern societies?

  The spread of Western culture.
• How has globalization affected national identity?

  It undermines traditional sources of identity.
• What has increased due to globalization in terms of population movement?

  Tourism, immigration, and multicultural societies.
• What do postmodernists argue about the current era?

  We are living in a new era of postmodernity.
• What is seen as the key driving force behind the shift to postmodern society?

  Globalization.
• What does Lyotard claim about truth in postmodernity?

  All knowledge is uncertain; no absolute truth exists.
• How do postmodernists view traditional Marxism?

  As outdated and overly simplistic.
• What does Heaton claim about modern lives?

  We lead "fragmentary lives."
• What does postmodernism highlight about modernist theories?

  They are outdated and insufficient.
• What has emerged due to the media's influence on culture?

  An unstable and fragmented culture.
• How do individuals form their identity in postmodern societies?

  From a range of structures including class and ethnicity.