Postmodernism & Globalisation

Question 1

What does Postmodernist argue?

Answer 1

• society has undergone a fundamental shift since mid-late20th century
• we have moved from Modern to a post modern society
• Individuals have more choice and freedom creating a world that feels less stable
• Shaped less by structure like class and more by global culture,tech and consumer life style

Question 2

What are 5 Features of a Post modernist society?

Answer 2

1. Less structured & more unpredictable - no ‘normal’ way to live
2. Culturaly diverse - More variation in lifestyles,beliefs and identities
3. Media saturated - Blurs lines between reality and image
4. shaped by consumer choice - rather than fixed roles like class or religion
5. Global & interconnected - Events in one part of the world influence lives anywhere

Question 3

Explain what idea modern society was based on?

Answer 3

• Enlightenment project
• could discover objective knowledge through science to improve the world
• Pomo rejects this and argues no universal truths only discourses

Question 4

What does lyotard argue?

Answer 4

• people in postmodern societies no longer accept metanarritives (big theories: marxism,functionalist etc) as legit explanations of social life.
• **Knowledge today is fragmented into small localised ways of understanding the world **

Question 5

What does Baudrillard argue?

Answer 5

• Pomo societies are hyperreal,dominated by simulacra (copies or signs of reality) found in themeparks,adverts,film,TV
• **Simulations can seem more real than reality itself **
• Media blurs lines between image and reality making it hard to tell them apart(e.g social media people believe carefully curated images of appearance)

Question 6

What is the difference in Economy between Modern & Pomo society?

Answer 6

• Modern - Economy based on industrial production (factories,labour)
• Pomo - Focused on consumption,choice and services

Question 7

What is the difference in People between Modern & Pomo society?

Answer 7

• Modern - defined by traditional roles like class,job,religion
• Pomo - have multiple flexibile identites and choose how to define themselves

Question 8

What is the difference in Culture between Modern & Pomo society?

Answer 8

• Modern - National culture dominated by shared values
• pomo - cultural diversity : Globalisation,immigration and media influence

Question 9

What is the difference in Societies between Modern & Pomo society?

Answer 9

• Modern - Distant and independant from one another
  Pomo - Interdependent due to globalisation

Question 10

What is the difference in Societies beliefs between Modern & Pomo society?

Answer 10

• Modern - believed in science and reason to explain the world (enlightenment projec)
• Pomo - people are disillusioned with grand narratives (science and religion) and view knowledge as fragmented and relative

Question 11

What is the difference in Media between Modern & Pomo society?

Answer 11

• Modern - media reflected reality
• Pomo - creates reality - what we see on screens shapes how we understand the world

Question 12

3 Strengths of Pomo

Answer 12

1. Recognises importance of identity,media and globalisation
2. Highlights rise of diverse family
3. Challenges Grand narratives like marxism and functionalism which assumes a single normal family or social structure

Question 13

3 Weaknesses of Pomo

Answer 13

1. Vague and untestable & lacks scientific evidence and relies on theory too much
2. Suggest society has completely changed but many argue modern structures (class,gender ethnicity) still matter
3. Overlooks inequality and role of powerful institutions

Question 14

How does Albrow define globalisation?

Answer 14

• All processes that integrate people across the world into a single society

Question 15

How does Waters Define Globalisation?

Answer 15

• social process that reduces constraints of geography on economic,political,social and cultural life

Question 16

What are the 3 Micro-level impacts of Globalisation?

Answer 16

• Martell says for individuals,physical distance and time zones matter less
• Tech has allowed people anywhere in the world to interact instantly
• can share same online space same time regardless of location

Question 17

What are the Macro level impacts of globalisation?

Answer 17

goods,money,people,service,culture,crime,news,Disease & ideas move across borders at speed
* Societies, deeply interconnected and interdependent
* local lives are increasingly shaped by events and decisions thousands of miles away

Question 18

4 Causes of Globalisation

Answer 18

1. Tech Change - Instant communication,faster travel and global economy
2. Economic change - growth of Transnational corp,worldwide markets
3. Political change - Decline in power of nation states,rise in global organisations (e.g EU) and influence of TNCs over political elites
4. Cultural identity change - Increases mixing of cultures: hybrid identities make cultural diversity the norm