A Break, or an Acceleration?
Modernity in sociology names a bundle of social transformations:
- Industrial capitalism
- The nation-state
- Structural differentiation into specialised institutions
- Rationalisation in Weber's sense
- Individualisation
- The belief that reason can improve society
From the late 1970s, theories of postmodernity emerged. Jean-François Lyotard defined the postmodern as incredulity towards metanarratives. Jean Baudrillard argued that society is dominated by simulacra, signs without an original reference. Baudrillard saw this as a hyperreality. Fredric Jameson treated postmodernism as the cultural logic of late capitalism. David Harvey linked this shift to time-space compression under flexible accumulation. Harvey viewed it as an economic shift.
| Position | What has happened | Key figure |
|---|---|---|
| Postmodernity | A rupture: metanarratives collapse, signs float free | Lyotard, Baudrillard |
| Postmodernism as cultural logic | A cultural style produced by a phase of capitalism | Jameson, Harvey |
| Radicalised modernity | Modernity's own tendencies intensified | Giddens |
| Reflexive modernisation | Modernity confronts its own side-effects | Beck |
| Liquid modernity | Solid institutions dissolve; individuals bear the burden | Bauman |
Late Modernity and Secularisation
Other sociologists deny a total Break with the past.
Anthony Giddens argues that modern mechanisms have simply intensified through disembedding and reflexivity. Ulrich Beck focuses on manufactured risks, hazards created by human decisions and industrial production. Zygmunt Bauman describes liquid modernity. In this view, fluid institutions force people to construct precarious biographies individually.
Secularisation provides an empirical test case. Religious practice declined sharply across Europe. However, it did not follow the same path globally. Peter Berger famously recanted his earlier secularisation thesis. Grace Davie proposed the concept of "believing without belonging". This phrase describes people holding religious beliefs without attending church.
Common pitfall: treating "postmodern" as a simple synonym for "recent". Postmodernism claims a fundamental rupture in history. Many sociologists argue that modernity has merely accelerated instead.