Modernity

• Modernity refers to the period after the enlightenment project, in which society moved away from religion to pursue science and democracy
• Modernity is easiest to see following the industrial revolution
• Weber said modernity is also defined by changes in attitude and secularisation
• Weber said bureaucracy was necessary in the modern era due to the scale of organisations and institutions
• Times of economic strain like in 2008 or post-covid suggest we are moving away from modernity
• Some sociologists we are in a stage between modernity and postmodernity called late modernity
• In late modernity, there are clear changes in society but many features of modernity are still present
• Giddens says we are disembedding - no longer need to be face to face to interact, so global barriers are broken down and interaction is less personal
• Giddens says we are always re-evaluating our ideas and beliefs, and nothing is fixed. This is called reflexivity
• Beck says we live in a risk society. Specifically manufactured risk that has been created by humans
• Beck also says we are more aware of risks than before and act to avoid and minimise them
• Late modernity is not necessarily a global phenomenon and may be more localised
• Elliot says there is a lack of digital access outside the west
• Rustin says increased risk is due to capitalism, not technology