Reflexive Modernization: Politics, Tradition and Aesthetics in the Modern Social Order

Front Cover
Stanford University Press, 1994 - Social Science - 225 pages
The theme of reflexivity has come to be central to social analysis. In this book three prominent social thinkers discuss the implications of "reflexive modernization" for social and cultural theory today.

Ulrich Beck's vision of the "risk society" has already become extraordinarily influential. Beck offers a new elaboration of his basic ideas, connecting reflexive modernization with new issues to do with the state and political organization.

Giddens offers an in-depth examination of the connections between "institutional reflexivity" and the de-traditionalizing of the modern world. We are entering, he argues, a phase of the development of a global society. A "global society" is not a world society, but one with universalizing tendencies.

Lash develops the theme of reflexive modernization in relation the aesthetics and the interpretation of culture. In this domain, he suggests, we need to look again at the conventional theories of postmodernism; "aesthetic modernization" has distinctive qualities that need to be uncovered and analyzed.

In the concluding sections of the book, the three authors offer critical appraisals of each other's viewpoints, providing a synthetic conclusion to the work as a whole.

 

Contents

Section 1
2
Section 2
13
Section 3
37
Section 4
56
Section 5
57
Section 6
61
Section 7
74
Section 8
110
Section 9
121
Section 10
135
Section 11
140
Section 12
157
Section 13
159
Section 14
174
Section 15
184

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Reflexive Modernization: Politics, Tradition and Aesthetics in the Modern ...
Ulrich Beck,Anthony Giddens,Scott Lash
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Common terms and phrases

abstract systems action active trust Adorno aesthetic reflexivity ambivalence Anthony Giddens autonomy Bauman Beck and Giddens Beck's become Bourdieu Cambridge capitalism capitalist cognitive communicative rationality compulsive concept context corporatist critical critique cultural deconstruction democracy democratic discourse disembedding dition dominant ecological economic effectively emotional ethics everyday example expert expert-systems expertise firms forms formulaic truth fundamental genogram Giddens's global groups guardians Habermas hermeneutic high modernity human increasingly individual industrial society information and communication institutional reflexivity instrumental rationality involved issue Jürgen Habermas knowledge labour Lash life-world Marxism mediation mimesis mimetic mode nature neo-tribalism normative notion political possible post-traditional postmodern practices premodern problems production question radical rational-legal authority rationality reflexive modernity relations relationship risk society ritual Scott Lash semantic sense shared meanings simple modernity sociology sort sphere sub-politics theory of reflexive things tion tradition Ulrich Beck Weber

References to this book

About the author (1994)

Ulrich Beck is Professor of Sociology at the University of Munich. Anthony Giddens is Professor of Sociology at the University of Cambridge. Scott Lash is Professor of Sociology at the University of Lancaster.

Bibliographic information

TitleReflexive Modernization: Politics, Tradition and Aesthetics in the Modern Social Order
AuthorsUlrich Beck, Anthony Giddens, Scott Lash
Editionreprint
PublisherStanford University Press, 1994
ISBN0804724725, 9780804724722
Length225 pages
Subjects ›  › 

Political Science / History & Theory
Social Science / Sociology / General
  
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