Late modernity and marxist theories of PoMo

Late modernity v modernity

• Late modernity = continuity of modernity

  • Key features of modernity (social change) intensified

Giddens — 2 features of modernity that cause rapid change

1. Disembedding

2. Reflexivity

Giddens — disembedding

• “Lifting out of social relations from local contexts of interaction”

  • I.e. fewer geographical barriers

  • More impersonality of interaction — no longer need face2face contact

Giddens — reflexivity

• Less tradition and customs → fewer guidelines for actions (e.g. following family profession) → more individualism

Giddens — impact of fewer guidelines for actions

• Forced to become reflexive

  • Always reevaluating ideas/theories/actions due to possible risks and opportunities

• Causes instability

Modernity and risk

• More high-consequence risks that are manufactured

  • Nuclear war

  • Economic instability

  • Global heating

• Need to make places to reduce them

Beck (1992)

• Power of reason to better world

Beck — change in dangers

• Inability to control nature → manufactured (caused by human activities)

Consequence of increasing individualism

• Reflexive modernisation

  • E.g. taking different risks into account

• More risk-conscious due to distorted media view of dangers

Beck — opinion on Baudrillard

• Disagrees about (lack of) possibility of progress

Beck — reflexivity and risks

• Can use rationality to overcome risks caused by scientific progress

  • Reflexivity → rational evolution of risks → taking political action to negate them (e.g. environmentalism)

CRITICISM of late modernity

• Poor unable e.g. to choose to move out of populated areas

CRITICISM of late modernity — Rustin (1994)

• Capitalism = source of risk (not technology)

CRITICISM of late modernity — Hirst (1993)

• Political movements too fragmented to change capitalism

Marxist theories of PoMo — thoughts on objective knowledge

• Can be used to improve society (agrees with late modernists)

Jameson (1984) — late modernity

• Late modernity → post modernity

  • More instability, diversity and media

PoMo

• ≠ fundamental break with past

• = product of most recent stages of capitalism

Harvey (1989) — origin of PoMo

• Capitalism = dynamic system that develops new ones

  • PoMo came from 1970s crisis

Harvey — 3 aspects of regime of accumulation → flexible accumulation/post-fordism

1. Use of info tech

2. Production of niche market products (cultural diversity)

3. Easy to switch from product to product (shifts in fashion)

Flexible accumulation

• Turns leisure/culture/ID into commodities → changes in consumption

Jameson

• PoMo = most developed form of capitalism because it’s commodified everything

Harvey

• Developed capitalism → time-space compression

Harvey and Jameson — consequence of political changes

• Fewer W/C and socialist movements → more oppositional movements (anti-racism, female liberation)

  • Could form rainbow alliance to bring about change

Best and Keller

• Marxist theory explains PoMo changes

• Enlightenment Project goal of change can still be achieved