This is intended to be an uber-brief summary, for fuller accounts please see other relevant posts.
The postmodern view of society
- Globalisation destablises social structures
- Consumer culture floats free from other institutions
- The media and hyperreality are important
- There is much more diversity
- The End of Metanarratives
The corresponding postmodern view of identity
- Individuals identities are no longer constrained by traditional norms (such as locality, social class or gender)
- Leisure and consumption, not work are what bind us together and what we use to actively construct our identities
- Individuals are free to construct their own identities in any way they see fit.
The Late Modern view of society
- Globalisation remains structured
- Abstract Systems are important (T$E)
- Uncertainty is everywhere
- Institutions are reflexive
- Therapy is important.
The corresponding Late Modern view of Identity
- Individuals are not so much free to construct their own identities – they have to do so.
- This is because the lack of a stable structure and rapid pace of social change means identity is no longer provided at birth, work, or locality.
- Thus people are forced into devoting time and money to ‘constructing their selves’ reflexively – and they have to do so continuously.
