Late modernity

Late modernity (or liquid modernity) is the characterization of today's highly developed global societies as the continuation (or development) of modernity rather than as an element of the succeeding era known as postmodernity, or the postmodern. Introduced as "liquid" modernity by the Polish sociologist Zygmunt Bauman, late modernity is marked by the global capitalist economies with their increasing privatization of services and by the information revolution. Among its characteristics is that some traits, which in previous generations were assigned to individuals by the community, are instead self-assigned individually and can be changed at will. As a result, people feel insecure about their identities and their places in society, and they feel anxious and distrustful about whether their self-proclaimed traits are being respected. Society as a whole feels more chaotic. Social theorists and sociologists such as Scott Lash, Ulrich Beck, Zygmunt Bauman, and Anthony Giddens maintain (against postmodernists) that modernization continues into the contemporary era, which is thus better conceived as a radical state of late modernity. On technological and social changes since the 1960s, the concept of "late modernity" proposes that contemporary societies are a clear continuation of modern institutional transitions and cultural developments. Such authors talk about a reflexive modernization as post-traditional order which impact day-to-day social life and personal activities. Modernity now tends to be self-referring, instead of being defined largely in opposition to traditionalism, as with classical modernity. Giddens does not dispute that important changes have occurred since "high" modernity, but he argues that we have not truly abandoned modernity. Rather, the modernity of contemporary society is a developed, radicalized, "late" modernity—but still modernity, not postmodernity. In such a perspective, postmodernism appears only as a hyper-technological version of modernity.

About this result

This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.

Related concepts (13)

Related courses (19)

Related lectures (6)

HUM-390: La dimension sociale de la durabilité

Ce cours propose de partir des paradigmes de la durabilité et d'en décliner les conséquences sociales et politiques contemporaines. Nous allons adopter une approche critique des diverses théorisations

HUM-265: Anthropology of east Asia

Cet enseignement aborde les notions et thèmes relatifs aux cultures et sociétés des mondes chinois ainsi que de ses aires voisines (la Corée et le Japon) et discute de leurs enjeux actuels dans une pe

AR-666: Contemporary modernity

The seminar will revisit notions, works, architects, and authors of XXIth century Modernism. It will question the issue of "being contemporary" - matching the characteristics of the era you live. Lear

Postmodernity (post-modernity or the postmodern condition) is the economic or cultural state or condition of society which is said to exist after modernity. Some schools of thought hold that modernity ended in the late 20th century – in the 1980s or early 1990s – and that it was replaced by postmodernity, and still others would extend modernity to cover the developments denoted by postmodernity.

Zygmunt Bauman (ˈbaʊmən; 19 November 1925 – 9 January 2017) was a Polish sociologist and philosopher. He was driven out of the Polish People's Republic during the 1968 Polish political crisis and forced to give up his Polish citizenship. He emigrated to Israel; three years later he moved to the United Kingdom. He resided in England from 1971, where he studied at the London School of Economics and became Professor of Sociology at the University of Leeds, later Emeritus.

Impressionist Identity: A Quip's Influence HUM-394: Manufacturing artistic identities from the 19th to the 21st centuries

Explores the origin and evolution of Impressionism, from a mocking term to a defining artistic identity, emphasizing the movement's focus on capturing sensations over precise landscapes.

Architecture: Bifurcation and Contemporary Challenges

Explores Bruther's architectural projects, focusing on balancing abstraction and function, creating improbable situations, and addressing contemporary challenges.

Architectural Language: Auguste Perret

Delves into the efficiency, precision, and clarity of architectural language, exploring Auguste Perret's contribution and the balance between modernity and tradition in design.