globalisation and modernity

• Characteristics that distinguish modern society

  1- The nation-state

  2- Capitalism

  3- Rationality, science and tech

  4- Individualism
• Globalisation


  Increasing interconnectedness of people across national boundaries
• 4 changes brough through globalisation


  1- technological changes

  2- economic changes

  3- political changes

  4- changes in culture and identity
• Postmodernity


  unstable, fragmented, media-saturated global village in which we define ourselves by what we consume.
• Consequences of postmodernity


  1- Enlightenment Project of achieving progress through science is dead

  2- Any theories claiming a single truth = meta-narratives
• Baudrillard's simulacra (postmodernity)


  signs that stand for something else appear more real than reality e.g. TV
• Foucault's discourse (postmodernity)


  set of established ideas used to make sense of the world. However, we cannot say one is more true than another.
• Theories of late modernity

  Argue that changes are a continuation of modernity, not the start of postmodernity
• Gidden's disembedding (late modernity)


  We no longer rely on face-to-face contact and traditions no long serve as a guide as a result of the rise of individualism.
• Gidden's reflexivity (late modernity)


  We monitor, reflect on and modify or actions based on new info and opportunities so nothing is fixed = instability
• Beck (late modernity)


  risk consciousness results from knowledge from mass media that often presents distorted info. However, we can overcome the risks by evaluating it and taking actions to decrease them.
• Marxist Theories of postmodernity


  society has moved to postmodernity, emphasising media, diversity and instability as a result of capitalism
• Harvey (Marxist postmodernism)


  capitalism reached a periodic crisis of 1970s with the end of the economic boom after WW2, creating postmodernity.
• Flexible accumulation (Marxist postmodernism)


  Ways of achieving profitability involving tech and flexibility of workers. This allows customised products, producing diversity and fast shifting fashion. A more developed form of capitalism
• New oppositional movements (Marxist postmodernism)


  hope to bring change e.g. women's liberation and anti-racism. Abandoning Marx's idea that the Enlightenment project would result from WC revolution.